As the Petals Fall
by youLOVEamelia
Summary: Years after Harry and Draco broke up, Harry is now in an abusive relationship with a famous Quidditch player and both Harry and Draco have children.  Draco just went through a divorce and has decided he wants Harry back. Rated M  DMHP MPREG noncon abuse
1. Shop Around the Corner

**As the Petals Fall**

**Disclaimer:** I am not JK Rowling, and only own the original characters that I have made myself. Don't sue me.

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**Chapter One – Shop around the Corner**

Have you ever walked into a bookstore and just felt the calm? It's like the books reach out to you, soothing your soul. Why? Because in a bookstore, you can find anything you imagine. You can find books that take you away from your world, away from your worries. You can find a present for a friend, or even a child. Or you can just find a bit of solitude and calmness as you browse through all of the dusty shelves, not looking for anything in particular.

Hestian Books in Diagon Alley was a store just like that. If you walked in, the scent of old books was almost overwhelming, calming the senses. Shelves lined all of the walls and filled the back portion of the store. Piles of books laid all over the place, just waiting to be placed on one of the many said shelves. In the front of the store, was a desk, where one man stood, placing some of the books on the shelf behind him. Looking at him, one would think he was underfed, for his body was quite thin and some bones stuck out a bit. Even after years of trying to tame his raven colored locks, his hair was a shaggy mess and would forever remain that way. His skin was smooth and without blemishes on a good day. But today he sported quite a few bruises on his neck, arms and one on his face. Not to mention his left wrist was in a brace. He hadn't grown much since school, his thin body not reaching much higher than 5'6''.

His tired green eyes peered at the piece of stationary that lay on the desk before him as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was a letter from on of his dearest friends and business partner:

Harry,

Sorry for not being in today. I know your wrist is bothering you. The doctor wanted to have another checkup. I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't overexert yourself, Harry! Just take care of any customers. Ron can come to help with putting some books away later.

Hermione

The man took a moment to look at the letter, smiling. His friend had the life she always wanted. A mother of one, with another on the way. She married Ron, of course. They decided to open the store together a few years earlier. Of course, when Ron wasn't busy with his job at the Ministry of Magic, he was there helping him and his eight months pregnant wife. Their six-year-old daughter, Angela, was starting her first year in elementary school. It was obvious that the girl had inherited both Ron's red hair, but Hermione's smarts.

When Harry woke up for work with all of his new bruises, he was sure that his coworker was going to figure out what was going on. She was always far too smart. Not to mention, she always asked questions when he came in with some new injury. Usually, said injuries weren't so bad, but lately they'd been getting worse. He definitely wasn't about to tell Hermione about it, which would only make her worry more. No, there was nothing he could do about it anyway.

Frowning at this thought, the thin man moved from the desk to put some more books away. Grabbing a pile, he stepped onto the ladder and began to ascend to the top. Just as he began, he heard the bell on the front door ring, someone coming into the store. It was rather good timing too, considering Harry happened to lose his footing and began to fall from the ladder. It didn't quite help when he grasped for the ladder with his left hand, his wrist stinging.

But there was nothing to worry about because he found himself enveloped in a pair of strong, and strangely familiar arms from behind him. It was the kind of embrace that reminded him of someone from his past; someone who had once held him this way, protecting him always.

"You haven't grown much since school," came the smoothly debonair voice of one Draco Malfoy. Harry didn't have to turn around to know that the blond was there. He did anyway, instinctively pulling himself away from the embrace. Draco Malfoy had certainly gotten bigger since school; in a good way, that is. He was strong looking, the muscles very toned and attractive. It was easy for him to catch the flimsy frame of Harry. His gray eyes still held all of the arrogance that they had back in their Hogwarts days. Of course, somewhere in there was a bit of concern, though the man hid it well. Seeing the bruises on his Harry worried him. But he told himself that it wasn't his place to worry about the raven-haired man; not anymore.

Harry was about to make a remark in reply to his quip, but then noticed another much shorter blond. "Let me introduce you to my seven-year-old son, Kendrick," Draco said. The boy really was his father's son; blonde hair, gray eyes, pale glowing skin. He had every inch of beauty that his father did. Kendrick even had the same scowl on his face that graced the face of Draco many times throughout his years.

Seeing Kendrick made Harry's heart ache. It made him think of the relationship he'd had with Draco in the past…this was what the blond had left him for; to marry some pureblood girl and have children. Pansy Parkinson had been the lucky girl, just as Harry had expected. The fact that this child was the making of the pair of them made him stop breathing. "The resemblance is striking," he said before bending to be eye-level with the boy. "Is there something I can help you with?" He wasn't about to be rude to a child, regardless of the fact that his father had once broken his heart many years before.

"Actually, there's a list he needs to complete for his classes," Draco said, handing Harry a very neat piece of paper with a few titles written on it in perfect handwriting. Draco watched him as he went through the shelves to locate all of the books. He couldn't help but watch the thin figure of his ex-lover. There was something different about him; something almost broken looking. "Let me help. Your wrist is hurt." Draco went forward to where Harry was once again on the ladder.

"I don't need your help," came the cold reply. Draco backed off, knowing the man wasn't going to accept his help, whether he needed it or not. But Harry managed to gather all of the books on his own, then returning to the pair, bringing them over to the counter to ring them up. "So how's Pansy?" he said, his voice thick with hatred.

Draco frowned. "We're divorced." Harry, of course, knew this. It had been all over the Daily Prophet when the millionaire working for the ministry decided to divorce his wife. Of course, there had been stories of adultery and scandal on Pansy's part. But who could blame a woman? It was obvious that her husband had always been thinking of someone else…perhaps his green-eyed ex-lover. "What about you and that Malakai Ryans?" he questioned in turn.

He hadn't been expecting the question and flinched. Of course, his relationship with the famous Quidditch player had been all over the news as well. But he hated being asked about it. A feigned smile graced his face. "Oh, we're doing great. The Caerphilly Catapults have been having a good season too." He wanted desperately to make Draco jealous. It was the least he could do for what the man had done to him.

Suddenly, the door bell jingled again as two identical boys run into the shop. "Daddy!" one of them called. They both looked a lot like Harry. They shared his green eyes and messy black hair. Neither of them had glasses, one trait they had luckily inherited from their other father.

"Malfoy, these are my sons, James and Sirius. Boys this is my old acquaintance Mr. Malfoy and his son Kendrick," he said, but before he was done talking, the two twins were chatting away with Kendrick, who simply sat there and listened, obviously annoyed with the nuisances.

Draco was silent, almost stunned by the two boys. It was strange thinking that Harry had gone through the pregnancy of the two of them. "They're yours and Malakai's?" he asked.

"Who else's would they be? Who would have thought I'd have been able to bear children? If only you'd known sooner, huh?" he chided, a glint in his eyes. "Nine months of pregnancy and sixteen hours of labor." But he was happy with the two boys. They were his life and joy, his only reason for still being part of this world. He remembered the fear he'd felt when he first found out he was pregnant. But all of the sickness and pain had been completely worth it.

The chide had stung quite badly, but he couldn't blame Harry for being kind of bitter. The way they had last parted hadn't been very good. The breakup had been hard on both of them. Draco had his duties to his family to make heirs to the Malfoy name. It was his father's idea for him to marry Pansy. Now he knew it was a mistake to listen to him in the first place.

It was then that Harry's co-worker came into the shop, sporting a very large tummy. Her thick brown curls were pulled back into a very efficient looking bun. Pregnancy didn't keep the genius from looking her best when coming to work. "Harry, sorry for taking so long I—" It was then that she laid eyes on Draco Malfoy and his spawn. "What are _you_ doing here?" she accused. It had been Hermione that Harry went to when Draco broke his heart. She remembered his sobs and the depression the breakup had sent him into.

"Forget it, 'Mione. He'd just here to get his son some books," Harry said as he accepted the money that Draco handed him.

The twins rushed to their aunt, hugging her. "How's the baby today?" James asked, placing his little hands on her tummy. Sirius did the same, copying his more dominant brother. Sirius had somehow ended up being the shyer of the two, though both were quite outgoing, even amongst strangers.

"You may have just gotten a divorce, but don't think that means you can come back into his life. You had your chance," she said, sporting quite a frown. It made her so angry to see the blond in their shop. Who did he think he was? Just showing up after ten years! And with a child, of course…She looked down at James and Sirius and gave them a smile. "The doctor said that he's doing well. In just one more month, you two will have another little cousin."

The two boys smiled. "Kendrick! Come feel the baby!" Sirius said to the small blond. The boy seemed to hesitate, looking at his father, who nodded in return. Kendrick smiled slightly and touched the stomach, feeling the baby inside kicking. His eyes widened. He'd never felt anything like it. "He's going to be our cousin! Auntie, can he be Kendrick's cousin too?" Sirius asked.

Hermione smiled. Though the blond child looked just like his father, she couldn't help but agree. "Of course, he can be. He seems to like him," she said, noting how much the baby just started to kick. She looked up at Draco and glared, just to remind him that he wasn't forgiven just because his child happened to be adorable. She then smiled over at Harry. "Harry, you can take the twins home now if you'd like. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of the store until Ron gets here."

This was the time of day that Harry hated the most. He didn't feel like going home to Malakai yet, but he didn't feel like being in the presence of Draco Malfoy either. His mind was a bundle of conflicts. "Uh, yeah…come on, boys. Say goodbye to Aunt Mione and your new friend. Er…Malfoy, I'd say it's been fun but…" he stared and simply shrugged, not bothering to finish before exiting the store.

Kendrick looked over at his father. "Father, why does that man not like you?" the boy asked curiously. He'd never encountered people who weren't nice to his dad. People weren't normally mean to millionaires.

Draco shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Ken," he said with a reassuring smile as he looked at his son.

"Is there anything else you need, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked coldly. "I don't want to say anything bad in front of your son, but if you don't make your exit soon, I might not be able to help myself." She couldn't stand the memories of a broken hearted Harry as he cried in her arms. Harry had put his all into their relationship, but it seemed that Draco's love for him hadn't been enough to keep them together. "If Kendrick needs something, he's welcome to come here, but don't you come near Harry. I'm warning you."

Draco scoffed. "That's enough, Granger. I came here for books, not your personal criticism of me. Kendrick, let's get going," he said, taking his son's hand and exiting the store.

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As soon as Harry got into the house that he and Malakai owned, he sent the twins up to their room to play. He could hear his boyfriend in the other room and knew that he was _not_ happy. "Kai?" he called out carefully, going into the family room, where his lover was drinking what had to be his sixth beer, judging by how many empty bottles were lying around on the ground. "You shouldn't be drinking this early in the afternoon." 

Malakai was a very attractive man, even when he was drunk and angry. He stood at almost a head taller than Harry, his body full with muscles developed from his Quidditch training. His skin was very tan and smooth looking. Harry had to admit it was the blond hair on the man's head that had originally attracted him to the alcoholic. It reminded him of Draco. But his eyes were deep brown instead of the gray he wanted them to be.

When he heard Harry's remark, he was quick to push Harry to the ground, the thin man landing right on his arse. "Don't tell me what to do, whore," he growled, grasping Harry by his raven-colored locks. "Just do what it is you're good for," he said, rubbing Harry's face against his crotch area. The green-eyed man, of course, knew what his lover wanted. Figuring it would keep the bruises to a minimum, he unzipped the man's pants. When the throbbing organ inside was released, Harry didn't hesitate before taking it into his mouth. He was glad he'd sent his children upstairs. It would be unbearable for him if the two boys had caught him in such a position.

Malakai's moans began to fill the room. The Quidditch player grabbed onto Harry's hair, pulling it as to push his member all the way into his lover's mouth. Harry could only whimper and comply, almost gagging on the amount in his mouth. Tears began to fill the green eyes. This was why he hated coming home. There was something degrading always waiting for him. He was never sure what it was going to be, whether it is a beating or a rape, but whichever one Malakai chose…they hurt equally. "Fuck," the man moaned, as he came in Harry's mouth without any sign or warning really. Harry knew to swallow the substance, or he'd have another nice bruise for his collection for making a mess.

When the organ was pulled out of Harry's mouth, Malakai looked satisfied. He took Harry's chin in his hands, tilting it upward so he could bend down to attack the supple, pink lips with his own, his tongue joining the raid a few seconds after. Why did Harry let this man do these things to him? He was the Chosen One, the Boy who Lived, and yet this man had this power over him. Before it might have been out of love that Harry stayed, but now it was his children. He had to protect them. "I should…check on the twins," he said as Malakai started kissing down his neck.

"I'm not done with you yet," his lover replied.

"Kai, we have kids now. We can't just do it whenever you want," Harry said, pulling away from the man. Malakai kept a firm grip on his wrists though, and pulling him back towards him. Their bodies melded together, not a single space between them. "Later, Kai. When they're in bed." He pulled away once more, despite the fact that he knew Malakai was much stronger than him.

_Slap!_ Harry fell backwards once again. Malakai was one top of him in a moment, trapping him against the floor. "Let's get one thing straight, Harry Potter." He grinned maliciously, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "You're nothing but a whore...And you belong to me."

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Have you ever been in a mansion? You know that feeling of superiority it has over you as you walk through the long corridors and into the sitting room. Even when you walk into the kitchen, where you can be sure that the inhabitants of the house have never been due to their full cooking staff, there is a sense that you'll never be good enough to have such a nice abode. 

But it wasn't in either of those places that Draco spent most of his time in the house. His place was the large office, which was where he did most of his work when he was home. But now he couldn't even think about work. All he was thinking about was Harry Potter. Those green eyes…how dull they looked in comparison to when they were kids…something about him seemed so changed, yet he was the same Harry that he'd loved, and still loved. And those bruises…! There was definitely something fishy going on.

Again, as Harry and Hermione had both reminded him plenty of times that day, it was no longer any of his business. He could no longer protect the man he loved, because he, too, had once hurt him. His fist came down on the desk, angry and frustrated. Sure, he'd known that going into that shop meant seeing his ex-lover, but he hadn't expected it to effect him so much. He couldn't think.

"Daddy?" came the voice of his son, as he stood by the office door. Draco waved him in. Kendrick came in and hoisted himself into one of the chairs. "Why did that man not like you?" he asked again, because he hadn't gotten the answer he wanted back in the bookstore.

Draco sighed, figuring he'd better tell the truth. "Well, Ken, I did something not so nice to him back when we were in school. It seems he's just not going to forgive me anytime soon." He was doing his best to put the situation delicately. His son wasn't going to have to worry about relationships for a long time, but still he had to go about this the right way.

"Why doesn't he forgive you? Didn't you apologize?" the boy asked, knowing it was always right to apologize when you did something wrong.

The blond man nodded grimly. "Sometimes when you do something that hurts a person a lot, an apology doesn't make it all better. And that person doesn't really want to see you anymore because they haven't forgiven you." Draco took a minute to look at his son. "Why are you so interested?"

Kendrick shrugged in the nonchalant Malfoy kind of way. "It's just that…I've never seen you sad before now. I thought nothing made you sad. Even when you and Mommy split up…you never seemed really sad about it," the boy replied.

Draco was rather surprised by this. His son seemed to be quite the observer. But he knew why he wasn't sad when he and Pansy got that divorce. There was never any love between them, just duty to their families. It had gotten quite out of hand. It seemed like the yelling never stopped. And then all of the sudden they just ignored one another, figuring the mansion was big enough that they wouldn't have to bump into one another for the most part.

But Harry's hatred of him was enough to make his entire body ache with sadness. Waking up to an empty bed, wishing the dark-haired man was there beside him…that made him sad. Seeing his ex-lover with Malakai Ryans in the newspaper all the time…and even meeting those twins in the bookshop…it made him want to sob. But he was a Malfoy…and Malfoys didn't sob.

Draco smiled at his son, the one joy left in his life. He didn't know what he would do without the little boy. Pansy barely even played a role in his life anymore now that they were divorced. The only reason she ever came around was to ask for money, which Draco was glad to give as long as she promised to stay away from him. "It's okay. I've got you, so I'm completely happy," he said, getting up from the desk so he could take his son up into his arms.

The little arms wrapped around his neck as Kendrick snuggled against him. "I'm happy too then," he said, his father giving him a kiss on the top of his head. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"When can I see the twins again? And Mione's baby?"

This surprised him considerably. His son wanted to play with the Potter twins. "I'll have to give their father a call. And we could always visit the bookstore." This was it. He was going to get himself back into Harry's life. And this time, he was here to stay.

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Did you like it? Please Review!!!! 


	2. The Philadelphia Story

**As the Petals Fall**

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Harry Potter, as much as I wish I did.

**Note:** Thank you everyone who has reviewed so far! I love getting feedback on one of my stories.

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**Chapter 2 – The Philadelphia Story**

Perhaps the most ironic thing about Harry and Malakai's house had to be the bedroom. Why? Mostly because while Harry decorated the room, making it his own, it was also the place where he had the least control. This was the place where Malakai took most advantage of him. The white walls and blankets give off a false sense of secure purity. To anyone who looked at the room, they would see a comfortable bed, covered in a fluffy white bedspread and plenty of pillows, white walls, light colored wooden furniture and a pair of white silk curtains. But when Harry awoke there in the morning, the light shining through the window onto his naked body, he saw something completely different. He saw memories of Malakai's control over him, his own body being desecrated, and his twins being conceived through what should have been something special.

Malakai was already downstairs, making breakfast for himself, when Harry opened his eyes once again. He was quite exhausted, for his boyfriend had taken to waking him at strange hours, wanting another bout of 'passion'. He couldn't count how many times he had to change the sheets of their bed throughout the week. It definitely made doing laundry much harder than it had to be. Not to mention, Malakai's rough 'loving' left Harry with a sore bottom, plenty of new bruises, and the indescribable feeling that he was completely worthless.

Despite this happenings, a smile was the only thing present on his face as the twins bounded in, each jumping onto the fluffy bed. "Daddy! Where's Papa? Making breakfast?" James asked, a grin on his face. Harry only nodded making sure he was completely covered with his blankets. "Why are you naked? Did you forget your pajamas?" was the question that Sirius opted for, causing Harry's face to go red.

"Oh yes! I must have forgotten to put pajamas on last night. That's all," he said with a little laugh. It there was one thing that could make him happy no matter what, it was his children. "Now, you two go get dressed and we'll see what we want to do on this glorious weekend."

Just as the two little boys exited the room, the phone on the nightstand began to ring. "Hello?"

"_Harry? It's Draco. Please don't hang up,"_ came the voice on the other end. Harry seriously contemplated hanging up on the man, despite the plea. Even just hearing the other man's voice made him turn into jelly, and he couldn't let that happen again. It seemed like every time that happened to him, something bad came out of it. Either his heart was broken, or he was stuck in some abusive relationship he can't seem to get rid of.

"What do you want, _Malfoy_?" he asked, putting extra emphasis on the last name. There was no way he was going to call his ex-lover 'Draco' anymore. It just wasn't appropriate. They weren't friends anymore.

"_Well, really it isn't what I want, but a request from Kendrick. It seems he's taken quite a liking to your little boys and would like to invite them over for a bit of a play-date. And while I know you absolutely detest me, I hoped you would do this one thing for him. You see, he's been having trouble making friends at school, which was why I was so surprised that he grew comfortable with your twins so quickly," _Draco explained, quite honestly.

Harry seriously thought about it for a moment. He did feel bad for the little boy. It must be hard making friends when everyone knew of his family's past as death eaters. His boys were nothing but popular in their kindergarten, for it was quite easy when your fathers were both the Boy Who Lived and a famous Quidditch player. "Alright, I suppose I wouldn't mind if it's for Kendrick," he replied, smiling uncontrollably. He told himself that it wasn't because he would be seeing Draco. If anything that would cause him more pain. Regardless, the smile remained on his face.

"_Brilliant. You can bring them over at about noonish? We can have some lunch too then. Oh and tell the boys not to forget their swim trunks. We've an indoor pool," _Draco said, sounding also quite happy on the other end of the line.

The two hung up after finishing all of the arrangements. "So, this is how we're going to be spending this glorious weekend…" he said to himself, getting out of bed. He was in desperate need for a shower and thusly, headed towards the master bathroom. It wasn't anything super impressive, but it had a nice tub and a shower, and two sinks with a large mirror behind them. This was also another place where Malakai had shown his control over him. To be quite frank, there weren't many places within the house that Harry didn't have some disturbing memory of moments in their relationship.

Regardless, the bathroom was also a place of comfort. It was the place he could clean himself after Malakai had his way with him. He already felt much better when the warm water hit his back, then soaking his hair with it.

The only thing that he disliked about showers was that it gave him time to really think about his life. He would think about how things used to be:

_The Room of Requirement had supplied the pair with a comfortable bedroom to relax in together…and they used that bedroom to it's full extent. Harry could recall plenty of passion-filled nights they spent there, then laying in each other's arms, exhausted and spent. _

_Right then two naked bodies occupied the comfortable bed, clinging onto one another. It was like two pieces of a puzzle, one body fitting perfectly against the other. Every kiss they shared, made Harry even surer that they would be together in years to come. Draco was his family, his love. There was nothing that could stop them. "Draco, I love you," he said quietly, leaning in to rest his head against Draco's chest._

_Draco's fingers ran through the raven-colored locks, a smile gracing his face. "I love you more than anything. I promise I'll be with you forever," he whispered, placing one kiss on the top of Harry's head. _

_The two laid there for quite a few hours before Draco finally fell into a peaceful sleep. Harry couldn't help but observe his lover as he slept. He couldn't believe his boyfriend was so beautiful, even in his slumber. There was a lingering feeling inside him that he just wasn't good enough for Draco. Draco deserved somebody who was just as beautiful as he was. Not the scrappy, frail form of Harry Potter. Someone devastatingly beautiful, although the smaller boy of the two figured nobody could compare to Draco. Nobody in the entire world…_

_Unfortunately, he didn't know that it was all about to end. Draco would find someone else. Duty came before love…_

Unhappiness fills Harry as he think about what his life has become. The only joy was that of his children and even working at the bookstore with his best friends made him pretty happy. He loved seeing Hermione and Ron happy together, but he also couldn't help but be jealous.

Seeing Draco yesterday made him realize how miserable his life really was. He was so happy when he'd been with Draco…so what went wrong? How come it seemed that the only man that wanted him only wanted him for his body? But now that it seemed he would have to see Draco more often, he worried about what he was really feeling. _'Do I…still have some feelings for him?'_ he asked himself internally. He'd always been certain that he was over his heartbreak…but then how come he felt that pain returning to him just thinking about Draco's face?

Regardless, Harry came to one decision. He wasn't going to let himself fall for Draco Malfoy again. It would only lead to more trouble if he did…and possibly another heartbreak, which was something he couldn't take anymore of at this point in his life.

Then he began to think about Malakai. He knew that he wouldn't have anywhere to live if he left Malakai. Sure, he could go with Hermione and Ron, but that was always a bother. With Hermione a month away from giving labor, he didn't want to add anymore to their hefty plate. Still, he knew that Malakai wasn't going to let him go that easily. He was the kind of man that went out for revenge. He would find Harry and the boys and possibly hurt them. That was one thing he couldn't risk. Malakai was always nice to them here…

The point Harry was making with his mind was that he'd much rather be in an abusive relationship and know that his children were safe than leave and fear what he might do to them. And there was a fear of being alone that Harry couldn't explain. He hated being all alone, seeing all of the relationships developing around him. Hermione and Ron…Neville and Luna, who just had their first child, Charlie and Fleur…There were plenty of others who had gotten married after school ended…but it still seemed like Harry was alone.

Dressed in a maroon sweater and black pants, Harry made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Malakai was sitting at the table, eating his breakfast. "Hey, doll, what are you doing today?" the man asked. Harry hated when he called him 'doll', even though that was basically all that he was to Malakai…a doll to do what he pleases with. He asked this question every morning, feeling the need to know every aspect of where Harry and the twins were going to be during the day.

"The twins have a play-date with Kendrick Malfoy. We'll be going over there for lunch. I'll probably stop by the store on our way home to see if Hermione needs some help," he replied, getting himself some tea to drink.

"Draco Malfoy's son?" Malakai demanded incredulously. "You can't be going over there by yourself. I'm going with you."

"Kai, I'm perfectly capable of holding my own against Malfoy," the thinner of the two replied, a bit agitated. Despite letting Malakai do what he wills with him, the man still didn't trust him one bit.

"No, I'm going. I won't have you over there flirting with some pretty boy all day. He won't be able to keep his eyes off of you, and I need to protect what's mine," he explained, coming behind Harry to wrap his arms around the thin man's waist. Harry felt himself being pulled back so his back rested against his lover's chest. "I'm going with you, okay?"

Even though it was a question, Harry knew that he had no choice but to obey. "Okay, you can come. But please, don't cause a fuss," Harry replied, turning around so he faced Malakai. "I don't want any trouble today."

"I'm more worried about you than me," Malakai replied, leaning in to place a kiss on Harry's full pink lips. "Now let's get ready."

* * *

When Harry walked up to the door of the mansion with his boyfriend and two children, the twins couldn't hold in their excitement about being in such a big house. It was even a little daunting for Harry, who had been there before, albeit a long time ago. Nonetheless, he forced himself to raise his hand to ring the doorbell.

The beautiful face of Draco Malfoy was what they were greeted with when the door opened. When you looked more carefully, you could see Kendrick on his leg, looking a bit shy, but happy at the same time. "Kenny!!!" Sirius and James exclaimed quite happily, as each of them took one of the boy's hands.

Harry smiled at the trio, feeling a bit of contentment coming from them. He looked up at Draco, doing his best to look as cheerful as possible. "Uh, Malfoy, this is my boyfriend Malakai Ryans. Kai, this is Mr. Draco Malfoy," he said. The two exchanged an awkward hand shake. Malakai did not look very happy. That said, neither did Draco. In that moment, they both sized each other up. "Well, I suppose we ought to go inside?"

Draco looked at Harry and nodded. "Of course…how rude of me," he said, sending an extra glare towards Malakai. There was something about the man that he just didn't like. Perhaps it was the thought that he was currently sharing a house, bed and even children with his Harry. _His_ Harry.

The kids were quick to find the large swimming pool. All three of them jumped in quite cheerfully. Kendrick was a bit shy at first, but was quick to join the twins in their games. It was nice for Harry to sit back and watch all three of them play. Draco, of course, didn't quite dislike sitting next to the frail man, even if it meant also being in the presence of Malakai. He kept his arm wrapped protectively around Harry, who was sitting in his lap on one of the many chairs. It was obvious that Harry felt rather uncomfortable sitting on Malakai in front of Draco. In the comforts of their home, he didn't mind so much, but in front of his ex-lover…it was strange.

"Daddy! Papa! Look! Look at me!" came the voice of James who was doggy paddling around the pool happily. It was only a few months earlier when Harry taught them how to swim, but they were always getting better. "Me too! Me tooooo!" Sirius yelled as he struggled to copy his brother. Kendrick watched them, with a very Malfoy expression on his face. It was a mix between amusement and embarrassment. "Come on Kendrick! We'll help you," Sirius said when he realized that the blond wasn't swimming much. The twins both went over to him, taking his hands and pulled him along with them.

"Looking good, boys," Draco said, a grin on his beautiful face. Harry couldn't help but glance at him a bit. It was still a bit daunting to see just how beautiful Draco still was. Maybe he really hadn't deserved him. _'What are you thinking?! That doesn't matter now anyway!'_ he thought to himself.

"Malfoy, would you mind joining me for a little private chat somewhere else? Dollface, you can watch the kids, right?" Malakai asked, squeezing him slightly. Harry pretty much knew what this was all about. Regardless, he nodded, knowing it was best to just agree to anything his lover said. It was just safer.

"Sure thing," Draco said, hating the way he'd called Harry 'Dollface'. Harry wasn't a doll, and he knew that the best. He led Malakai to his private office. "Feel free to have a seat."

"I don't need a seat, thanks," Malakai said rather abrasively. "I want to get one thing straight with you Mr. Malfoy. Harry belongs to me. I won't have you pushing your way into his life." Draco flinched. He figured something like this would happen. But he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"And here, I had the impression that Harry was his own person," Draco replied, taking a seat at the desk. "Mr. Ryans, my son has taken a liking to your twins. That is the reason I invited you all into my home. Now, I would appreciate if you didn't insult me so in my own house."

Malakai's fist came down on the desk. "I know Harry is what you're after. I'm warning you to stay away. Can you do that for me? Because if you can't, I'll make sure that my boys never come over here to play again."

"Fine," Draco said, just wanting to get this man out of his face. "If you'll calm down, I do think we should return to the others." He stood, without a word, and left the room. He wasn't about to sacrifice his son's friendship to argue with this stupid Quidditch player. He would have to get to Harry some other way.

When the two returned, Harry was relieved to find that nobody had thrown any punches. He could imagine Malakai and Draco fighting…of course, he couldn't think of who would win. Both would be able to hold their own. Regardless, it was nice to know that the two had managed to have a civil conversation. He couldn't help but smile at the both of them.

Draco did his best to avert his eyes, but they always wandered back to Harry, who was now standing by the edge of the pool, watching over the children as they played. He knew if he stared too much, Malakai would want to have another chat with him, and he had a feeling if that happened, it wouldn't go quite as well as their last chat did. He had no doubt that he could take the Quidditch player on, but he knew Harry wouldn't be happy with that. That definitely wasn't the impression he wanted to give Harry.

Unfortunately, he couldn't help but watch as Malakai pulled Harry into his arms forcefully. It was obvious that the man was simply trying to make Draco horribly jealous. Meanwhile, Harry felt quite like Katharine Hepburn in _The Philadelphia Story_ being fought over by Cary Grant and John Howard. Much to our dismay there isn't a Jimmy Stewart in sight. Regardless, it isn't so evident who will win: old love or new love…Cary or John? Would Katharine Hepburn end up with her first love, or settle for something less?

But when Malakai let go, moving to sit at the table, Harry hadn't been ready for the move and lost his footing. Before Draco knew it, there was a very large splash coming from the pool and Harry was no longer in sight. All three of the children were giggling as Harry's head popped up over the surface of the water. "Papa, you made Daddy fall in!" Sirius said, still laughing. "Daddy, you should have worn your swim trunks," James mentioned.

Harry hoisted himself onto the edge of the pool. It was rather difficult considering his clothes were sopping wet. Draco had to help him up, grabbing the thin man's arm to pull him to a standing position. "Sorry," Harry said, his face turning a deep shade of red at the embarrassment he was now experiencing.

Draco chuckled, sending a smirk over to Harry. "No apologies, Potter. I've got a robe you can borrow," he said. "Mr. Ryans, if you would watch the kids…" Malakai didn't look too happy about this, but nodded. Harry knew that this didn't bode well for him. Regardless of whatever would happen between him and Draco in this alone moment…Malakai would treat him as though he cheated on him or something.

Draco led him to his bedroom. This was a place that Harry knew quite well. He remembered the scent of the room and a feeling of familiarity washed over him. The green walls…the door leading to the balcony…and the bed. _That_ bed. Harry could remember every second they spent in that bed over the summer. It hadn't been hard to keep their relationship a secret from his parents. After all, he just had to apparate. But now the room only held an emptiness…something that used to be, but couldn't matter anymore.

Harry snapped out of these thoughts when Draco handed him a green fluffy robe. Harry recognized it as the one he always used when staying over. "You should get undressed or you'll get sick," the blond said, a grin on his face.

"Would you mind…um…turning around?" Harry questioned sheepishly.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," Draco said, then seeing Harry flinch turned his back so the other would start stripping.

Why hadn't Harry wanted Draco to watch him? Because his body was no longer beautiful. It held plenty of scars, some smaller and others quite large and rather r to look at. Harry hated what his body had become and he definitely didn't want his ex-lover to see it. He was so ashamed that he rushed to put the robe on, not even wanting to see it himself. "Okay, thanks," he said as he tied the belt.

Draco couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Harry's tiny body looked in his robe. It had been this way back when they were dating, so it was almost like he and Harry were back in school again. "You really haven't grown at all, have you?" he joked. When Harry didn't laugh with him, an awkward silence began to fill the room. "Since seeing you the other day…I've been thinking," Draco suddenly said. "I wanted to…apologize."

Harry was almost shocked even hearing Malfoy say such a word. Malfoys never apologized for anything!

"I know, it's a bit late. But I realized what a mistake it was to let you go," he said, taking a step towards Harry, who in precaution took one step back. "And I want you to know that I think your boyfriend treats you like shit and you deserve much better." Harry froze now. Did he know? Was it that obvious?

Even when Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, pulling him so their bodies touched…the dark-haired man found that he couldn't control his limbs enough to escape this embrace. Before he knew it, the firm lips of his ex-lover were against his own, in a gentle, but hurried kiss. All the frustration Draco had felt without having Harry by his side was tasted in this kiss. Draco's hands began to move, feeling, grasping at Harry.

It was only when a hand began sneaking into the robe that Harry snapped out of it. Two hands placed on Draco's chest, he pushed the blond back, tightening the robe around him. His face was red with a mixture of embarrassment, anger and passion. His breathing was still rather irregular, his chest rising and falling. "What makes you think you're any better than him?" he breathed. "And you're wrong. I don't deserve better…besides, you made it perfectly clear that I didn't deserve you."

The words stung, but before Draco could stop him, Harry had left the room, taking his sopping wet clothes with him.

'_Why did I think this would be okay?'_ Harry asked himself as he hurried back to the pool. He wanted to cry, but knew if he did, Malakai would suspect even more than he already did. Instead, he took Malakai's hand and leaned against him. "Kai, can we go home soon?" he asked.

When Draco made it back, he didn't mention what happened. It wouldn't be a good idea in front of both the children and Malakai. Not to mention, Harry made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to talk about it. It was obvious the man was impatiently waiting to leave. But Draco had insisted on putting Harry's clothes in the drier.

When the clothes were done, Harry called for the twins to get out of the water. "Aw, but Daddy, we want to stay," James said with a pout on his precious little face. It was the kind of face that Harry would sometimes give in to, just because he wanted his children to be happy. Now was not one of those times. He wanted to leave so badly. He gave James a stern look, and immediately both boys were out of the water and covered in towels.

"Well Malfoy, it was nice of you to have us over," Harry said hurriedly, as he ushered the boys out of the mansion. Malakai gave a warning glace to the blond before following the rest of his family.

"Father?" Kendrick asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I have another Daddy too?" he asked curiously. He didn't quite understand why the twins had two fathers and not a mother. He hadn't liked his mother that much because she'd never been all that nice to him. Not like his father was anyway. And James and Sirius seemed perfectly happy with both of their parents.

"I'm working on it."

* * *

"You little _slut_!" Malakai shouted as he pushed Harry onto their bed, trapping the thinner man's wrists above his head. "Something happened when you were up there with that Draco Malfoy."

Harry shook his head. "No, nothing happened," he replied, trying to pull away. Malakai straddled his waist, pinning him down effectively. "I promise, Kai. You're the only one I'm ever thinking about."

Slap #1.

"That's bullshit and you know it," Malakai accused rather accurately. "He touched you. Let's find out where." His hands began to roam his lover's body, following the feminine curve of the petite man's hips. Harry couldn't help but squirm around. All he wanted to do was go to sleep. He'd had a hard enough day.

"Please, Kai. Let's not do this tonight."

Slap #2.

"I thought you understood, Potter. You _belong_ to me. And not just when you want me to. Always," he said, grinding his hips against the smaller male's. Harry whimpered, the noise being swallowed up by Malakai's lips as he closed the space between them. "See?" Malakai grabbed Harry's chin, holding it in place so he had no choice but to look right back at the quidditch player. "You know you enjoy it." Harry's eyes closed as Malakai grinded against him again.

It wasn't this part that Harry minded so much. But when they actually got down to business, Malakai tended to "forget" certain things: lube and preparation. Harry almost always ended up with a horribly sore bottom in the morning.

When Malakai got sick of the foreplay, he began to shed the rest of the clothing both of them had left. His hands continue to run over Harry's thin form, feeling the bones underneath the skin and the scars above the skin. He rolled Harry onto his stomach, ready for the main event of the evening. Harry, of course, hid his face in one of the many pillows on the bed, as Malakai began to push his way in.

The thinner of the two couldn't help but cry out as he was thrust all the way into. Judging by the pain he was feeling…he knew these were going to be another set of sheets ruined with stains of his own blood. "Kai, please…wait." But his plea was in vain, for Malakai had already begun to thrust his hips. The man's moans began to fill the room along with Harry's cries of pain.

"Gods," Malakai said in a husky voice as his thrusts increased in speed. With this change of pace, Harry felt a new wave of pain and with it, a wave of nausea. Tears streamed down the sunken in and bruised cheeks. Harry made sure to keep his face against the pillow not wanting Malakai to see his face. He was ashamed and embarrassed, letting someone do this to his body.

With a grunt, Malakai finally released himself inside of Harry. He held still for a few moments before pulling out and collapsing next to his lover. "Don't pretend you don't like it rough, slut."

"It hurts," Harry whined.

Slap #3.

* * *

So this chapter was a bit longer than the first. I hate writing all the bad parts!!! Haha. Well, don't forget to review! I love hearing from everyone!! 


	3. An Affair to Remember

**As the Petals Fall**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter…wah…

Thanks to everyone who continues to review this story! You have no idea how much it makes me want to keep writing.

**Note:** If you guys haven't been understanding my chapter titles so far, here's an explanation:

Shop Around the Corner: A movie featuring Jimmy Stewart where he works at the shop around the corner. He and one of his co-workers are actually pen pals, but don't know it until he realizes it was her all along. It is also where they came up with the idea for You've Got Mail. Notice her bookstore was called Shop Around the Corner. I figured since Harry works at a bookstore, I would name the chapter that.

The Philadelphia Story: As briefly mentioned last chapter, The Philadelphia story is a movie featuring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart etc. I don't think I can explain the whole thing here, but it's a great movie so go see it! The idea is that Cary and Katharine are divorced, but when she's engaged again, he wants her back.

An Affair to Remember: A movie featuring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Cary is an artist and he and Deborah meet on a cruise. Of course, they fall helplessly in love and when they get home, they agree to meet on top of the empire state building for valentines day. But on her way, she gets hit by a car and is paralyzed from the waist down. At the end, he finds her because she buys one of his paintings. This is the inspiration of the movie Sleepless in Seattle. (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks…they couldn't think up their own plots right?)

* * *

**Chapter 3 – An Affair to Remember **

Maneuvering around a bookstore with a very large, pregnant belly could be rather difficult, as Hermione found out early that day. She was used to having Harry around, mostly because he'd always been sure to be there at all times. But he called her to tell her he wasn't feeling so well that particular morning. Thus, she would have to manage on her own until her hubby made his way there. But really, it was quite troublesome for her, waddling about, trying to get on a ladder.

But she didn't complain. And she didn't worry about herself. All she could think about was Harry. Lately it seemed that he never really felt good. Either there was some sort of injury or he would call out sick like this morning. And something about him always seemed…different from the Harry she knew in school. It was like something inside of him had been broken. Never did she think anything like this would happen…not after defeating Voldemort anyway. Anyone would think that if you could beat the Dark Lord…who couldn't you beat?

And the sudden reappearance of Draco Malfoy into their lives. Sure, Kendrick was absolutely adorable and would be welcome in the shop at any time. But Draco? She wasn't ready to forgive him and she definitely wasn't about to let him anywhere near Harry. It was quite a problem, considering Kendrick and the twins had become rather good friends. It wouldn't be fair of her to split them up because of Harry's old heart break…would it?

These thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a little red-headed girl ran up to Hermione. "Mum, where's Uncle Harry?" Angela asked. She had inherited her father's hair, no doubt, but she was quite inquisitive. The big brown eyes beamed up at Hermione, who wasn't sure exactly how to answer the question. Really, she wasn't sure what the true answer really was at this point.

"He's at home, Angie. He called this morning to say he wasn't feeling too well. Perhaps, we'll drop by later to visit him," she replied with a soft smile on her face. Though remembering the fears of being a mother she had during her first pregnancy, Hermione couldn't imagine her life without Angela and the baby that would be on its way quite soon. And while she had feared that the passion between her and Ron would be gone, she felt quite silly about it now. Never had there been more passion between them than when they had their first child and conceived their second.

When Draco came into the bookstore, Hermione was less than pleased. "Angie dear, go into the backroom," she said. The red-head pouted and looked as though she was going to protest, but upon seeing the glint in her mother's eyes, exited the room, glad to be free of the tension. "Malfoy, I thought I made myself clear. Kendrick is always welcome here. You, on the other hand, are not."

Draco smirked. "That's bad business, Granger. Regardless, that's not what I'm here to talk about. There's something we're equally worried about and I know you can help me," he said.

"And what makes you think I will help you?"

"I know because it's about Harry," he said. Hermione was going to say something but closed her mouth, thinking about it. "I know something is wrong. But I can't put my finger on it. It's something to do with Malakai. Don't pretend you haven't been having the same thoughts as I have," he explained, looking at the way Hermione flinched. "Have you noticed anything strange about Harry lately?"

Hermione hesitated, not sure if she should trust Draco, but that fact of the matter was that they'd both noticed something was amiss in Harry's life. He was her ally…for now. "As a matter of fact, I have. There's always some new injury whenever he comes to the store. And he's been calling out sick a lot lately, which is something he never does, thanks to my pregnant state. As always, he's looking out for everyone else but not himself." She stopped to think again. "But I'd like to think that if something was bothering Harry, he would tell me or Ron…"

Draco shook his head. "You know he isn't like that. Now, I've a plan to make sure everything in that house is as it should be," he said. He hoped that Hermione would help him. Otherwise, it would be hard to get close enough to Harry to do what he needed.

It was a few minutes before Hermione made her decision. There was a fear deep within her, because she willed with all of her might that nothing was wrong. She couldn't bear it if Harry was hiding something as dreadful as they suspected. But she wanted to make sure that he was going to be okay. That was the most important thing now. "Okay, I'll help you."

* * *

Harry was glad for the fact that the twins could keep each other occupied for hours upon end. He definitely didn't want them to see him like this. He wore only a pair of jeans, as he was bandaging all of the cuts that Malakai caused in his morning rage. He'd come home early in the morning, drunk of course, and decided he wanted a punching bag. Harry had gotten quite used to it and everything was quite numb now. Still, having to heal himself like this was never fun.

When the doorbell rang, Harry was quite startled. Forgetting to put a shirt over his bare, bandaged chest, he went to see who it was. Opening the door, his green eyes widened to find both Hermione, and Draco standing on his front porch, along with Kendrick and Angela. "Uncle Harry!" Angela said, hugging him tightly.

Hermione looked at him with a concerned expression. "Harry, what happened? When you said you didn't feel well, I assumed you were sick or something," she said, immediately letting herself into the house. She planned on helping Harry with the bandages, but Harry stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Hermione…really. The twins and I were just playing around and they got a little rough. You know how little boys can be," he said, but judging by the look on his face, Draco and Hermione could both tell he was lying. It was easy to see that there was something lying beneath the weak smile on his face. There was something lurking deep within his mind…his heart even.

"Angela, Kendrick…why don't you go play with the twins in the other room?" Hermione said. Both of the children nodded before exiting the room to go find the twins. Harry was definitely glad for this, for he didn't want the children to see him in this condition.

"Harry, I'd love a tour of your house," Draco suddenly said.

"Oh, let me, Malfoy. Harry, you keep on taking care of yourself. I'll just give him the quick tour," Hermione said, hurrying out of the room with Draco before Harry could deny them access to his house. With a heavy sigh, he continued to apply Neosporin and bandages.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Draco were taking care of their plan. "Okay, put one on that shelf," Hermione said as they came into the bedroom. Nothing seemed amiss. The bed was made and everything was nice and clean. Draco obeyed and put one of the little cameras on the shelf, pointing towards the bed. They'd been planting these cameras all over the house.

Even though she wanted to help, Hermione half hoped that they didn't find anything. Despite the dreading feeling that something was wrong, she hoped that it was just an unnecessary worry. She hoped that everything was great in Harry's life. Seeing him all injured and broken downstairs almost made her want to cry, or hide somewhere that she could see it. But she had to do what she could to help her best friend. He needed them.

Once all of the cameras were placed, Hermione returned to Harry with Draco. "Harry, I really need to go. I hope you don't mind us stopping by. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. But the bookstore calls to me," she said before gathering Angela and leaving. "Goodbye Harry. Oh, and goodbye, Malfoy."

And now they were alone: Draco and Harry. There was a horribly awkward silence that came over them. "So, what really happened? I'm pretty sure a pair of five-year-olds couldn't cause that much damage," Draco said, obviously unhappy about the weak lie that Harry had told them.

"I don't have to explain myself to you in my own house. I told the truth," Harry lied.

"Well if this is really the way you like to be treated, than I severely misjudged you. At least I treated you with some respect," Draco replied, crossing his arms.

Harry almost froze again. He didn't want his ex-lover to know what he was letting Malakai do to him. "He treats me fine. You guys act like I'm some battered wife or something." Essentially that was quite what he was…but he wasn't about to show this weakness to anyone, much less Draco Malfoy. "I don't know why you care so much now anyway. You had your chance to be part of my life. You think you can just show up and everything between us will be okay? Well, it's not."

Just as Draco was about to answer, Malakai barged in, having heard the voice of Mr. Malfoy. "I didn't welcome you into my house, Malfoy. I suggest you leave," he said with a gruff voice.

Harry placed his hand on Malakai's arm. "It's okay, Kai. He's my guest," he said, not wanting his lover to take out any of his anger on Draco. He knew this was going to mean a beating for him later, but he didn't want Malakai to show that side to Draco. He couldn't bear to have the Slytherin pity him.

Draco shook his head. "It's okay. I'll go," Draco said, calling for Kendrick. "Good day to you." With that, he left the house, holding Kendrick by the hand.

Malakai quickly turned on Harry, who was trying to get somewhere that his boyfriend wouldn't get to him. In vain of course, because Malakai quickly caught up, slamming the thin man against the wall. "You like that fuck, don't you?" he asked, continuing to slam Harry's body against the wall. With one punch in the face, Harry slid down the wall and onto the ground.

"No, I only love you," Harry said, earning a kick in the stomach.

"Fuckin' liar!" Malakai screamed. He kicked Harry again, then turning to leave the house, slamming the door behind him. The raven-haired man continued to slump against the wall, tears running down his face.

* * *

The Burrow was just as Hermione remembered it as a child. Sure, she'd been there every Sunday when Mrs. Weasley made them dinner. But really, it hadn't changed at all. Even just sitting at that dinner table brought back such memories. "You know," Ron said, as he ate, "Harry hasn't eaten with us in a long time."

Hermione nodded. "He and Malakai are always busy with something. Harry barely ever answers the phone anymore. It's always Malakai instead," she said. The thought of all of the cameras in the house came back into her mind.

Molly agreed with both of them. "I haven't seen Harry since the twin's birthday party a few months ago. But I'll say there's something different about that boy. Barely looks you in the eye anymore! It's like he's ashamed of something. I'm telling you, something's the matter," she said, only making Hermione worry more.

The dread was building within the pregnant woman. She couldn't believe the possibility that Malakai could be mistreating Harry all of these years without them realizing it. Not only that, but Draco seemed to pick up on it rather quickly. That irked her a bit. Why could this man understand Harry so much better than his best friends?

"Love? Something the matter?" Ron asked, placing his hand on his wife's shoulder. "You know, you shouldn't worry. S'not good for the baby." He had that normal lopsided grin on his face.

"I just worry about Harry sometimes…"

* * *

It was past midnight when Malakai stumbled into the house. If one were to stand in that room, they would be able to smell the alcohol on his breath and see the drunken anger written all over his face. The man ripped his way through the house, going up the stairs and into the bedroom.

His deep brown eyes lay on the thin man in his bed, sleeping away. "Whore," he said, shaking Harry awake. The green eyes opened and looked up at the drunken man. "Come on, slut."

Harry shook his head. "Please, not tonight, Kai," he said, but Malakai had other ideas. He pulled the covers off the bed, and began ripping at Harry's nightclothes. The thinner of the two tried to pull away, desperately wanting Malakai to leave him alone that night. The man punched him in the face, rendering him rather dizzy for a moment which gave Malakai enough time to get Harry completely naked. "Please, Kai. I don't want to…"

Malakai replied by taking a pocket knife out of his pocket. "You'll let me do what I want, bitch," he said and proceeded with the raping of Harry Potter.

Even as the man took him, Harry cried out desperately. "Please, Kai! Please don't! I'm sorry!" he cried, tears running down his face. But there was nothing he could do. Never had he seen Malakai this angry…this violent…

* * *

The light was just starting to filter through the window when the phone rang. Hermione hated whenever she woke up to a phone ringing. Ron, of course, still slept next to her, not even perturbed by the loud ringing. "Hello?" she asked into the receiver.

"_Aunt Hermione?"_ James asked through the phone.

"What is it, James?" she asked softly. It sounded like something was wrong. She could hear Sirius crying in the background noise. "Is something wrong?"

"_D-Daddy…D-Daddy won't wake up…and P-Papa isn't here,"_ the boy sobbed. _"There's b-blood everywhere…"_

Hermione jumped right into action. "Okay, I'll be there, soon. Just don't panic, okay sweetie?" She knew that she couldn't really ask that of the twins. What else would they do after finding their father bloodied up and unconscious? "Ron! Call an ambulance!"

When Hermione caught sight of Harry, she fought the urge to wretch right there. The thin man was covered in cuts, bruises and it even seemed like some of his skin had been sliced off. Not only was there blood but other…sexual fluids…

Luckily, the ambulance arrived quite soon and took Harry with them. Hermione took the twins and followed the ambulance to the hospital in her car.

* * *

Have you ever been in a hospital waiting room? If you haven't been, you're not missing out on anything. It's basically a sterile room full of either sick people or their families. There's always one depressed family, waiting to hear for news about a loved one. There's usually a snack machine and a coffee machine that doesn't work. And at the desk might be either a very nice nurse, or a very snooty nurse.

Luckily, it was a very nice nurse.

Hermione sat in one of the chairs and the twins clung to her, both sobbing. "Auntie, is Daddy going to be okay?" Sirius asked, a pout on his face and tears coming from his big green eyes. "He wasn't moving."

Hermione smiled softly, wanting to be reassuring for the twins, though it was hard. She wasn't sure what was going to happen to her best friend. "Of course, he's going to be okay. He would never leave you two," she said, making them feel a little better. It was so hard waiting. This is why waiting rooms were the worse. You could always feel the tension, whether it was your own or someone else's. Now, it was Hermione's.

She was slightly relieved when Ron arrived with Angela. "Any news yet?" he asked, just as worried about his friend. Harry had always been his best mate and he never imagined anything like this happening to him, especially after defeating…'he who must not be named'.

When Draco came in carrying Kendrick, Ron almost exploded. "What are _you_ doing here?" Ron yelled, startling all of the people in the waiting room. He couldn't bear the sight of the man who had betrayed Harry. Of course, he'd told his mate that it was a bad idea to date a Slytherin. He wasn't about to rub it in his face now…mostly because for a while he'd believed in Draco too. But now…that was all over.

"For your information, your wife informed me of the situation," Draco said, a scowl on his face. He'd been very worried once hearing of what happened to Harry. He wondered all morning if it was his fault for being there in the first place. Had he made Malakai angry? If he did, was it Harry who the man took his anger out on?

"Ron, he's right. I told him because…well, he had a feeling that Malakai wasn't treating Harry too well. And we put these cameras in his house…the cameras!! Draco, we need to see what's on those cameras," Hermione said, suddenly realizing that they could figure out exactly what had happened.

"We'll wait, Granger. The most important thing now is making sure that Harry is okay," Draco replied. Ron immediately calmed. He wasn't going to start anything in the hospital, but at least Draco had his priorities in the right order. Harry was the most important thing right now.

When the doctor came through the swinging doors, everyone gathered around him immediately. "Harry's going to be okay…but it's going to take a lot of work," the doctor explained. "There are signs of both multiple beatings and rapes. He's got a lot of older scars that would attest to that. All of the cuts and bruises will be gone in a week or two. We've got him all bandaged up. He's even awake now, if you'd like to see him. Don't startle him, or he might hurt himself." The doctor smiled at them. "I suggest having him go to a therapist."

Hermione nodded, taking in all of the information before everyone else. Tears flowed down her face. "Rape…" she said, devastated. Ron wrapped his arms around his wife. "Let's go see him." She pulled away from Ron, walking down the hall. Everyone followed her of course.

As soon as she entered, Hermione flung herself at Harry, wrapping her arms around him. The twins followed her, their tiny arms grabbing at his waist. All three of them sobbed. "It's okay, you guys, really. Boys, I'm so sorry I scared you. But I'm okay now," he said with a soft smile on his face.

"Why didn't you tell us this was happening?" Hermione asked.

"And have you worry about me all the time?" Harry replied. "Not that it kept you from worrying anyway. I'm sorry."

"What happened? What did he do to you?" Hermione questioned almost angrily, as the tears continued to fall.

"Mione…I really don't want to talk about it."

Just then, Draco's cell phone rang. Knowing that phones weren't allowed in the hospital, he left the room to go talk outside. It was a few minutes before he came back. "The police just found Malakai. He's going to be tried for rape and battery."

Hearing this, Harry gasped and began to hyperventilate. "Don't! You don't understand! He'll get away and…!" he exclaimed, beginning to thrash. The twins and Hermione moved back. Draco on the other hand, moved forward, grabbing the thin man's arms, trying not to hurt him.

"Harry, calm down. You're hurting yourself," he said, continuing to pin him down. "It's going to be okay. I'm not going to let him get you." He wrapped his arms around Harry, who continued to sob and squirm. "Shhh…it's going to be okay…he's going to be locked up." He held Harry in his arms, rubbing his back soothingly. "He's not going to hurt you again."

Harry's breathing became regular again and he almost melted into the embrace he was sharing with Draco. While he was angry at the blond yesterday, he couldn't imagine being in anyone else's arms at the moment. Ron held his tongue, even though the sight of Draco still made him angry. Hermione, on the other hand…she was starting to like having Draco around again. He really did seem to love Harry.

They stayed there with him the rest of the day. "Harry, the twins will stay with us at our house. Draco, are you leaving?" Hermione asked.

"Would you mind taking Kendrick with you? I'd like to stay, really. It's been a while since he's had a sleepover anyway," he said, winking over at Kendrick.

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Alright, Kendrick would you mind staying with us for a night or two?" she asked kindly. The boy shook his head, giving his father a kiss before holding Hermione's hand. "Okay, good night, Harry. We'll be back to see you tomorrow." They left the room after each gave Harry a kiss.

* * *

When Harry woke up the next morning, the sun was shining in the hospital room. He really couldn't believe he was still alive. Everything hurt…but he was alive. He remembered laying in the bed, all bloody and messy, and wondering what the boys were going to do without their Daddy. But here he was…

He then heard a snore, and to his right, Draco was sitting in a chair, fast asleep. _'He stayed here all night?'_ Harry asked himself. As he thought about this, the gray eyes opened, looking straight back into the green ones. They were silent for a few minutes before Harry decided to say something. "I'm sorry."

Draco came closer to Harry, sitting next to him on the bed. "Don't apologize," he said, leaning in to bring his lips to Harry's. It'd been so hard for him to sit there watching the man all night. This was the man that had driven them crazy throughout school…the man who plagued his mind even as he was married to Pansy…the man who made him ache for him once again…

With the kiss, Harry flinched, something that Draco definitely noticed. But besides that, he accepted the kiss, even kissed back. But when he realized what he was doing, he pulled back a little. "I'm sorry," he said again, his eyes avoiding Draco's. "I can't be with you now, you know. But it seems whenever you show up, I can't help it. I forget. And…it's just too soon…"

"I told you. Don't apologize," Draco said, smiling. Harry smiled too, but there was so much pain behind it, hidden right in his bright green eyes.

Draco couldn't help but worry about the future. The police had found Malakai, but the trouble was that Harry and the twins would most likely have to testify against him. If nothing else, Harry would have to.

There was one thing that he didn't have to worry about: Malakai. Because either Malakai was going to jail after the trial…or Draco was going to kill him.


	4. Bringing Up Baby

**As the Petals Fall**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter…Sorry, I get a little emotional every time I have to say this.

**Note:** Thanks so much for all of the reviews!!! I have some answers for your questions. I know I added a lot of things from the muggle world into this story. They are wizards, but I just wanted to add some normal muggle things, mostly because Harry and Hermione grew up with muggles. But this is in the Wizarding world. I'll make sure to make that clear in this chapter. Something else I wanted to mention is that this story disregards everything that happened in Deathly Hallows. 3 Much love. Amelia

Bringing Up Baby: A movie with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. It's plot doesn't have much to do with this chapter…but the title does.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Bringing up Baby**

Two weeks later, Harry sat in his therapist's office. His entire body shuddered, his hands shaking almost violently. It wasn't cold in the office. In fact, it was very comfortable and Harry was sitting in a very soft armchair, across from the woman he was about to bare his soul to. In all truth, he was afraid. He was afraid that this woman would judge him, and make him talk about things that he didn't want to. He was sure of the latter. It was intimidating having to tell some stranger so much of oneself. And that, my friends, is why his body couldn't control the shaking.

"Harry, please, you're making me nervous just looking at you," the woman said with a soft smile on her face. Her voice was very calm and comforting and Harry could already feel himself calming down at the sound of it. "Now, I'm Catherine LaRue," she said, offering her small hand for him to shake. Mrs. LaRue was a plump little French woman. She was very motherly looking, with her curly blond hair and sapphire eyes. But the most comforting thing about her was the smile that always remained on her face. "I know you're going through a rough time and would rather I leave you alone. But it might help for you to talk about it. Sometimes it's easier talking to someone new than a friend."

Harry shook her hand, hating how she seemed to read his mind. She understood everything he was feeling at the moment. "I just…would rather not talk about it…"

Catherine nodded her head. "I understand. Let's just start with a few questions and we'll see how it turns out, okay?" Harry nodded nervously, breathing deeply. "Now, how did your relationship with Mr. Ryans begin?"

Harry took another deep breath before beginning. "Well, I met him after finishing school. Hermione and I had opened the bookstore. We get a lot of different people in there and one day, he happened to be one of them. He was looking for a book on quidditch of course. Malakai was never much of a reader. But when he came up to the counter to pay, he was very charming and asked me out to dinner. The Daily Prophet thought it fitting that their savior would date someone as famous as Malakai Ryans and we quickly became one of those famous couples. I guess I got a little caught up in it all." He was amazed at how easy all of this was to say to Catherine. "At first he was really good to me. He took me out to dinner frequently, we actually made love, and it seemed like everything was going great."

Catherine took a few notes down as he spoke, but kept the smile on her face, telling Harry that she was listening intently and wanted to hear what he had to say. "Then when did the abuse begin?"

"About five months into our relationship…He went back to drinking alcohol. In the past, he'd been to rehab and everything. But as soon as he started touching the stuff again, he became angry. I remember the first time he ever hit me. I was so surprised that I barely knew what to do. And after that, it just didn't stop. And he was always so jealous. If I was friends with another man…he would immediately accuse me of cheating on him. At first it wasn't so bad though, maybe a few slaps. It wasn't until a few months later that it started impacting our sexual life. He came in one night, drunk of course, and started…touching me. I told him I was tired and he would just hit me.

"In the morning, he was always gone. I would change the sheets and try to wash all the blood and semen off of it. Sometimes the stains would remain and I would just throw the sheets out, because I didn't want to be reminded of it. Soon it became normal for this to happen. He would come back drunk almost every night."

Catherine looked more concerned now. She was starting to understand the full extent of what this man had done to the once confident Harry Potter. "And how did the children impact this?" she asked curiously.

"Well, when I found out I was pregnant, I was so scared. I didn't want to have a child with this man, but as always I had no choice in the matter. But there was no way I could go through an abortion or anything like that. I considered suicide, but that notion only lasted a little while. I figured that was worse than abortion. So I went through the pregnancy. For the most part he left me alone while I was pregnant. And when they were born, it was almost like everything was okay again.

"He was always careful about not mistreating me in front of the kids. That was one good quality about him. He was always good to them. Maybe it wasn't because he loved them, because he definitely doesn't, but they were the one reason I stayed with him. It was his one way to keeping me with him."

Catherine gave him a look that told him there had to be something else. "Why would you let this continue? I couldn't just be your children, Harry. They would have been okay if you decided to take them and leave."

Harry gulped. "Well, I thought Malakai might attack them if he got drunk and came after us. And…" He took a deep breath. "I guess I felt trapped, like there was nothing I could do about it anyway. I felt so helpless no matter what I did. He was good at making me feel degraded and small. You know…he used to just toss me around like a doll…doll…And that's what he called me all the time. 'Doll' or 'Doll-face'…I hated it. But he made me feel like I couldn't escape him, like nobody else would ever want me. I thought I would be alone if I left him."

"Are you afraid of being alone?"

"Terrified."

* * *

When he arrived at Azkaban, it was Kingsley and Tonks who met him inside. Tonks immediately wrapped her arms around the thin man. "After all you've been through…" she said, sounding almost at tears. This surprised Harry. He was used to seeing her tough and ready for anything. But now it seemed the mere sight of him could bring her to tears. Kingsley patted his shoulder. Both the aurors comforted him greatly.

Since the defeat of You-Know-Who, aurors had become more like police men. They made sure all was well in the wizarding world, now that they were no long worried about the Dark Lord.

Luckily for Harry, Azkaban had also reduced the numbers of dementors floating about. They were guarding only the worst of criminals. This meant he probably wouldn't be passing out today, something that brightened the idea of being in the prison just a tad.

Still, the halls of Azkaban were dark and gloomy as they led Harry along with Tonks and Kingsley towards their destination. The aurors stopped and brought him into a room. Inside there was a simple looking table. It looked simple enough anyway. But Harry could feel intense magic coursing through the room, protecting him. There was no way Malakai would be able to hurt him in here.

"Harry, are you sure you want to see him?" Tonks asked. Her hair was bright green today. "You don't have to, I mean, besides the trial."

Harry nodded. "I have to do this. I'll have to face him eventually. Might as well start now…"

As he said this, Malakai was being dragged into the room. The man struggled with all of his might, almost knocking over the aurors. They chained him to the chair across from where Harry was sitting. "How could you do this to me, you little _bitch?!_" he yelled. "You deserved everything I gave you for looking at that Draco Malfoy!"

"I bet he has an excuse for the rape too," Kingsley chided to Tonks.

"Rape? He's lucky I ever even looked at him. Ugly, scarred little body…Nobody will want you now! You're just a used toy. I was the only one who would even look at you!"

Tonks and Kingsley could practically see Harry crumple into little pieces as the man degraded him. "That's enough," Kingsley yelled. "Mr. Ryans, you don't seem to understand the position you're in. If you're found guilty, you'll spend the rest of your days here. I'll make sure of it."

Malakai quieted down. "That's more like it. Anything you want to say, Harry?" Tonks asked.

"Um…I…I hope that sometimes you think about how it used to be when we were happy," he said. "We could have stayed like that if you didn't start drinking. Now…you'll lose everything, starting with me and my children."

Malakai struggled against the chains that held him. "You little bitch! I own you, Harry Potter! When I get out of here, you'll be sorry!" Harry cowered back. All of the confidence he had before completely disappeared. Tonks stupefied the criminal, and he was dragged out of the room.

Harry kept his tears in, smiling weakly.

* * *

Since leaving the hospital, Harry no longer felt comfortable in his own house. He quickly moved himself and his children out of there and into Hermione and Ron's guestroom. They were quick to offer him somewhere to stay. Hermione felt she needed to keep an eye on the petite man. After what happened with Malakai, she wanted to do everything she could to protect him. But just as always, Harry kept everything to himself, just like when they battled You-Know-Who.

But now he was safe inside her house and she was glad for it too. Ron was glad as well, but for other reasons he was not all that happy. Since Harry moved in with the kids, Draco had been making quite a few appearances at their house. Though Ron appreciated what he had done for Harry the past few weeks, it wasn't enough to dispel the hatred the redhead had for him. He couldn't understand why Hermione would carry on, letting him into the house.

Those thoughts were quieted when Draco brought the videos from Harry's house. "Harry's still with Tonks and Kingsley. I though it'd be better to watch it without him," Hermione said. She definitely didn't want Harry to have to relive what happened to him through the video, but she and Draco had to be sure…

Hermione could only watch it to the first laceration. Seeing what Malakai had done to Harry was mortifying in all senses of the word. He slashed randomly at Harry with a knife. Draco was surprised the man had survived such horror. It had only been playing for about twenty seconds when Ron turned it off. "I think we have all the evidence we need. You just hand it in to the Ministry," Ron said, not wanting to watch more of it. "And you can leave. We won't be needing you."

At this, Draco glared. "Actually, I was going to wait for Harry. I'd like to talk to him," he replied with a cold tone to his voice as the two stared each other down. Hermione grabbed at Ron's sleeve, giving him a warning glance.

"Just because you helped Harry this one time doesn't mean we'll forgive you for what you've done," Ron said, ignoring his wife's protests. "You expect to waltz on in, like everything's fine."

"Ronald Weasley, you stop it right now," Hermione warned him.

"No, it's alright, Granger. Not your fault your husband's a dolt," Draco replied, his gray eyes boring into Ron's. "I know I made mistakes, but Harry doesn't seem to mind having me around. And if he's okay with it, then it is no business of yours to still be angry."

"This is my house, and if I say you're out then you're out!" Ron bellowed.

Just as this was being said, Harry stepped into the room, looking weary and weepy. His green eyes looked between the two, as they silenced at his presence. "Harry…" Ron started, scratching the back of his head.

But instead of saying anything, Harry stormed off. In a few seconds all three of the remaining heard the guestroom door slam. "Now look at what you two have done! As if he hasn't been through enough already! Ronald, you hold your tongue! And Draco, maybe my husband is a dolt, but you're on thin ice as it is. I've accepted your presence here, but that's until you screw up," she scolded them. "I suggest you apologize to Harry." With that being said, Hermione stormed out of the room.

Draco and Ron looked at each other, immediately feeling very ashamed of themselves. After all, they were both just trying to look out for Harry's best interests. There was no reason to be squabbling. "Er…Sorry, mate. I guess I just keep thinking about what a right mess Harry was when you left him."

"Understood. I suppose I'm sorry for calling you a dolt. I understand I have to earn my forgiveness. But know this, Weasley. There isn't a day that I don't regret everything I did to hurt him," he said to the red-head. "If you'll excuse me…" He walked towards the guestroom, hearing Harry's sobs through the door. He knocked on said door. "Harry?"

"Go away! I don't want to talk to you right now," he replied.

"Harry, please let me in. You're acting silly."

"_Silly?! _Oh, you think this is _silly_, do you? Forgive me for not seeing the _silliness_ of my actions!" he cried.

"I know you're tired, Baby. I just want to talk and apologize."

Harry unlocked the door, opening it so Draco could only see one bloodshot, green eye. Tears continued to make their way down his face. "I am not your baby," he growled before slamming the door again, locking it up tight.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me, Harry."

Suddenly, he felt both of his sleeves being pulled. "Draco, did you make Daddy cry?" James asked, pulling at the left sleeve as his brother pulled at the right.

Draco nodded. "I let my temper get the best of me. It was an accident, but yes, I made him cry. Now all I want is to make him stop crying," he explained to the twins, crouching down so he was at their level.

"We can take care of him, Draco," Sirius said. "And then he won't be crying anymore."

Draco thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, but I'm counting on you two so don't let me down," he said, patting them both on the head. "Harry, I'm leaving, but I hope you'll talk to me soon. I really am sorry."

Hearing Draco's footsteps leave the hallway, Harry opened the door and let the twins in. He had wiped his tears already, not wanting his children to see them rolling down his cheeks like Draco had. All three of them sat on the bed, one boy in each of Harry's arms as they rested against the pillows. "Daddy, why are you so sad?" Sirius asked him,

Harry held both of them close. He'd been waiting for them to ask these questions, like where their Papa had gone. And he'd thought for long hours on how to explain to them. "Boys, your Papa did that horrible thing to me. I never want you two to have to find me like that again. I'm sorry you had to see it at all. So Papa is going to be in Azkaban for a long time and we're never going to see him again."

"Papa did that to you?" James asked. Both boys remembered how close to death their daddy had been when they found him that morning. It was something that would be stained into their memories for the rest of their lives. Luckily, they had thought to call Hermione. "Why did he do that?"

"Well, he had a little too much alcohol to drink. Sometimes drinking alcohol makes people do bad things that they might not have done had they not drunken it. I want to make sure to be here for both of you for a long, long time. So we're not going to see him again."

"Then, will we get a new Papa?" Sirius questioned. The children hadn't much attachment to Malakai, so it wasn't hard for them to move on. As long as they had their daddy, they knew that everything was going to be okay.

"Yeah! Draco can be our new Papa! Then Kendrick will be our brother!" James decided.

Harry blushed. "We'll see. Let's not rush anything…"

* * *

All three of them were sleeping peacefully in the bed that night when Harry woke to Ron's panicking. "Hermione's going into labor!"

"Harry smiled. "Don't panic. Let's get to St. Mungo's then." He remembered when Angela was first born. Of course, he'd been in the house with Malakai. Ron had called him urgently. It was a tad bit awkward considering Ron really didn't have much experience with the phone. The only reason they had it was because Hermione and Harry could talk on it together. But Ron and Hermione both made it through the delivery in one piece and Angela was brought into the world.

James, Sirius and Angela all slept in the chairs of St. Mungo's waiting room as Harry watched over them. Harry had insisted on watching them at the house, but Ron wanted everyone in one place. _He does some silly things when he's worried,_ Harry thought to himself with a grin on his face. It was evident that the panic was for Hermione. Harry was so fond of both of them, but he couldn't help but feel jealous. They found love so early. It definitely hadn't been easy for them, considering what an idiot Ron could be at times. But they made it through. Harry wanted that…but he knew he didn't deserve it. He was damaged goods now. He had his children though, and they were enough to make him happy with his life.

It was a long enough wait before Ron came into the room. "It's a boy," he said with a goofy, lop-sided grin on his face. Harry jumped up to hug him.

"Congrats, mate," he said, patting his best friend on the back. "Let's go see the little Weasley then."

Devin Arthur Weasley was seven pounds and ten ounces. There was a tuft of what would eventually be red hair on his head. The twins looked at him, amazed at how tiny he was as Hermione held him in her arms. Ron stood right next to her, leaning over to get a good look at the baby. As Harry watched the scene, a warmth settled over him. Hermione and Ron looked like the happiest two people in the whole world. "Hello, little brother," Angela said, a smile beaming from her face.

"Daddy, can you have a baby? We want a little brother or sister," James told him.

Harry blushed again. "Maybe in the future…not quite now."

"Why not? Draco can be the other daddy this time. Then he'll be our Papa too. And then we'll be a family," Sirius said.

"Boys, we already have a family. We have Auntie Hermione and Uncle Ron and your cousin Angela…" Harry said. Hermione and Ron were laughing so hard now that their faces were almost red.

"But we want a Papa. And Kendrick wants a Daddy. He told us so. And he likes you. And we like Draco," James explained.

"It doesn't quite work like that. I'll explain later," Harry said.

As though coming to his rescue, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came bounding through the door to get their first glimpse of their newest grandchild. "Oh, he's so lovely!" Molly cooed at the child. "Hermione, he's got your perfect little nose." Hermione blushed now, looking down at her child.

She looked at Ron and handed the baby to him. "Oh, Mione…He's perfect," he said, holding the child delicately. Harry found it so amazing…After all they had been through in the past with Voldemort and Hogwarts…Everyone was grown up…even Ron.

* * *

It wasn't until a week later that Harry had seen Draco. He'd messaged by owl, asking if they could have lunch. And Draco accepted, of course. So once all the excitement of the newborn baby died down, Harry and Draco met at a small café in Kensington. "I was so glad to hear from you, Harry," Draco said, as they both ate their scones and sipped their tea. "I didn't want to pressure you…I'm really sorry, Harry."

Harry shook his head this time. "No, it's okay. You just caught me at a very bad time. You know I went to see Malakai…it was just upsetting, and I ended up taking it out on you. I know you're trying to help me…and even if I'm not sure why you're trying so hard, I appreciate it. Really, I do," he said. Draco hated seeing how broken this man looked just by mentioning the name of his abuser. "It's really horrible, being afraid all the time. Even though I know he's in Azkaban…there's still that fear inside me that he'll get out and hurt the twins or Ron and Hermione…or you even."

"Harry, I'm going to protect you and the twins. I promise I won't let anything happen to any of you," Draco told him, his gray eyes staring straight into Harry's emerald ones. "I know you can't trust me as much as I would like you to. But someday I just hope that you can forgive me."

"I…I always tell myself that I shouldn't see you. After what you did, I thought I'd never recover. And I don't want that to happen to me again. I have children to look after now and…yet…I can't help but trust you. Even just being with you here makes me feel safer…" Before Harry could continue, Draco's lips were on his. He didn't care that people were staring at them. It wasn't long until Harry stopped caring as well, melting into their kiss.

Suddenly he pulled away, his green eyes tearing. "I can't. I'm sorry. It's just…I…I need to go." He stood up quickly. Draco grabbed his wrist and saw Harry flinching at his strength. The smaller man seemed to cower away from the mere contact of Draco's hand.

The blond reluctantly loosened his grip. "I'm not Malakai, Harry. I don't want to see you hurt again," he said.

The green eyes look up at him again. This time they held sadness, pain and a twinge of regret. "I know. I just…everything reminds me of it…I'm not what I used to be, Draco. People touching me scares me and…every time we kiss it frightens me…because I lose control of myself around you even though you've hurt me before…" He looked away. "I have to go…"

Draco let him pull away and leave. There was nothing he could do to make the frail man stay against his will. It would take much time to make Harry really trust him again. He wanted Harry to feel comfortable one day, so he could have a normal relationship, regardless of whether it ended up being with a certain blond or not. If Harry could be happy, Draco would be pleased enough. The Boy Who Lived already had enough tragedy in his life.

* * *

"So Harry, how have you been the past week?" Catherine asked him, sitting in the chair she always did.

"Well, much has happened. I'm happier right now, because my best friends just had their second child and my sons are both safe and sound. But sometimes I think back on all that has happened, and I can't help but weep, even though I'm perfectly happy."

"I wouldn't call it perfectly happy, Harry. You still tremble every time someone utters the name Malakai. He still has control over you as long as you're afraid of him. As soon as you let go of that fear, you'll be free. Much has happened throughout your life. The world owes much to you. Let your friends take care of you and know that they protect you. There's no reason for you to be afraid anymore." She was quite started when the young man crumpled into tears. "Why Harry…whatever is the matter? Are you still that afraid?" she asked him. She knew it was going to take time for him to feel better about himself…but she never saw someone so disturbed as this.

"I just feel so disgusting all the time. Don't you realize? I'm damaged goods. I have a scarred ugly body that I'm ashamed of. I'm horribly thin and weak and I can barely take care of myself anymore. I'm so used to taking care of my children and myself…I just can't help but feel so weak all the time…and ugly…monstrous really."

"My boy, what that man has done to you is sickening and wrong and you have every right to feel scared. But you are a very attractive young man who has a future ahead of him. You don't always have to take care of yourself, Harry. Let the ones who care for you protect you."

And though Harry did think of Hermione and Ron…the face that lingered in his mind's eyes was that of Draco Malfoy.


	5. Indiscreet

**As the Petals Fall**

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is not my creation. If only…

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Indiscreet**

Harry remembered the courtroom from his adventures in the Department of Mysteries during his fifth year at Hogwarts. It was the same chair he sat in all those years that he was now seated in. Eyes from the members of the ministry bore into him, as though trying to look into his soul through the dull, tired green eyes Harry sported. It gave him almost a nostalgic feeling. In the past he'd been there for a crime he did not commit, and now he was here as a victim once more. But Dumbledore had been there to make sure everything was alright. Now he felt alone as he sat in the chair despite the fact that Hermione, Ron and Draco sat amongst the court.

The woman questioning Harry was a middle-aged witch that went by the name Madison Criss. She was very calm and kind of reminded Harry of his therapist, Catherine LaRue, who was also present in the courtroom. "Mr. Potter, might I ask you to remove that concealment charm? The court should like to have some understanding of what has been done to you," she said, a soft smile on her face.

Harry was very surprised. Nobody had seen through his concealment, not even Hermione. But this woman saw it right away. "Very well," Draco, Ron and Hermione all watched in horror as Harry transformed into a broken version of himself. There were large bags under his eyes and large slashes covered his body, scars covering his face. "Oh Harry," Hermione gasped. Harry looked like the walking dead. Murmurs began to travel through the crowd.

Harry could feel Malakai glaring at him from where he sat in the courtroom. "Now Harry…why hide this from everyone?" Mrs. Criss questioned.

"I…I guess I didn't want anyone to worry about me. They have enough to worry about without me causing more trouble," he admitted.

"Mrs. LaRue, it is normal for those suffering from post-traumatic stress to have trouble sleeping and a loss of appetite, correct?" the woman asked the therapist.

"Indeed, it is. Harry is still recovering physically and mentally from what Mr. Ryans has done to him. It will take him time in order to feel like himself again," she explained to the court. "It is evident from looking at him that these are taking quite a bit out of Mr. Potter. It seems his weight has gone down drastically and he's been having some trouble getting to sleep, though he has not expressed either of these in any of our sessions."

"Mr. Potter, why did you let Mr. Ryans do this to you? Why wouldn't you tell anyone?" Mrs. Criss asked him.

"I don't know. I was always afraid of what he'd do if I tried to leave. And I guess part of me felt like I deserved it. He was always good at making me feel that way." He cowered and almost whimpered when he saw the rage in Malakai's eyes. He could say nothing else, for fear of what the man could do to him.

As though she read Harry's mind, Mrs. Criss frowned. "Harry, speak as you please. Don't pay any attention to Mr. Ryans. Now what exactly happened to you the night before your sons found you?"

Harry gulped. "He was drunk again. But this time he was angrier than I'd ever seen him." Tears began falling down his face as he retold the account of what happened to him. It was terribly difficult for him to even form words. His voice was meek and tired and you could hear the fear resonating from it. "I thought I wasn't going to ever wake up again. I was so afraid of what would happen to my sons if I wasn't around."

"Thank you, Harry. Just one last question and you'll be finished. Do you think Malakai had any kind of motive? I was informed that he'd gone to rehab for his alcohol problem. One would hope that he would be cured after this."

"No, he was okay for a while, but he had one drink one night and soon he was drinking all the time again."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Potter. You may return to your seat." Harry got up and returned to his seat next to James and Sirius.

Draco now stood up. "Mrs. Criss, I have some evidence to present for the case. Arthur Weasley has agreed to provide a muggle television for us." From the crowd of ministry members, Arthur stood up, to go retrieve the television. As a studier of muggles, he had quite a few artifacts such as the television at the ministry.

Malakai stood too. "I object! How can we trust such muggle methods?" he shouted.

"If the children would be escorted from the room, I should like to see this evidence," Mrs. Criss decided, sending Draco a nod of approval.

When the tape played, the members of the ministry were so disgusted that they ended up having to take a ten minute recess to calm down. Malakai was shouting. "T-That's fake! Bastards! They're lying!"

"Silencio!" Kingsley said, his wand pointed at Malakai. The man's voice diminished with the spell.

"Much better," Mrs. Criss said with a smirk on her face.

James was in the chair next as soon as the recess ended. "Hello, James. I'm just going to ask you a few questions," Mrs. Criss said calmly. "When you found your father, what exactly did you see?"

"Well, he was on the bed, like he was sleeping. He was naked and there was blood everywhere." The boy was shaking, tears running down his face. "And I didn't think he was ever going to wake up."

Fury went through Draco as he listened to James. No child should ever have to see his parent in that condition. He shouldn't have to be afraid that Daddy won't wake up. It was appalling to him. His heart ached for the twins, and he promised to himself to make sure that they weren't put into that situation ever again.

"Did you ever see your Papa showing any other signs of violence?" the judge asked.

"He tried to hide it from us. But one time Daddy broke a plate. It was an accident though. But Papa slapped his face." The boy sobbed. "He didn't know I was watching. And I didn't tell him that I saw it. I though…it was private."

"Thank you, James. That will be all." Harry walked up and scooped his son into his arms.

"You did a good job, James. I'm so sorry this is happening. But I'm so proud of you," he said as he sat back down, James in his lap, clinging to him. The little boy buries his face in his Daddy's shoulder. After a few moments, his body stopped its shaking.

It was Sirius' turn next. "Sirius, I assume you saw the same thing as your brother," Mrs. Criss said, earning a nod. Sirius was almost too nervous to even speak in front of all these people. "It was very good of you two to call your aunt. You save your father's life, you know." At this, Sirius smiled a little, knowing that he'd done some good. "Can you just tell me how your Papa treated you and your brother?"

"U-Um…he…well…he never hurt us, but he never played with us. Sometimes he would get really angry. He yelled a lot," Sirius told her. "We only called him Papa because Daddy told us to."

At this, Malakai jumped up. Had it not been for the silencing charm, he'd be shouting profanities at his son. Kingsley pushed him down into the chair.

"Thank you, Sirius. You can return to your seat." Mrs. Criss looked among the members of the ministry. "Let us vote. All in favor of condemning Malakai Ryans guilty of both charges of battery and rape…" Almost every hand in the room went up. "Then it is decided. Malakai Ryans, I sentence you to a life sentence in Azkaban. Court adjourned."

Before the aurors could do anything, Malakai had knocked Harry to the ground, administering a nice punch in the face. Harry cowered from him, covering his face with his arms. "Stupefy!" Tonks yelled, stunning the man. It was now easy for the aurors to drag him away.

Hermione and Ron were quick to get to Harry, helping him up. Hermione hugged him. "Harry, you never have to worry about him again," she said. Harry wished that he could believe her when she said this. No matter what he did, he was always afraid. There was always that lingering fear that Malakai might get his revenge somehow. Nothing could dispel this fear.

* * *

It was much more comfortable at Ron and Hermione's house. All the children played as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco spoke in the kitchen. Hermione was currently bandaging the wound on Harry's face.

"Harry, why would you use that concealment charm?" Draco asked suddenly. It was something that had been bothering him, mostly because he hadn't been able to catch it before Mrs. Criss pointed it out. "We could have helped you had we known you weren't sleeping well."

"I know, but that's the problem. I don't want you guys to feel like you always have to be helping me. You have your own lives and well…I have to start taking care of myself. And why give you guys something else to worry about?" Harry explained to them. Hermione sighed at this. He was never going to understand, was he? She wanted to know these things so she could know if he was safe or not.

"You know you can always talk to us, Mate," Ron said. "Plus Hermione goes crazy when she knows you're hiding something from her. Best not make her worry too much, aye?"

Harry looked at Hermione with tired green eyes. "I'm sorry." He was surprised when a tear fell down his own face. Suddenly, he was sobbing, his broken body shaking. To his horror, his friends stared at him, worry written all over their faces as he broke down. He sat in a chair, covering his face with his hands. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, his head resting on her chest.

"It's okay now, Harry," she whispered to him.

"Don't let Malakai keep you down, Harry. You'll find someone who will give you a strong, healthy relationship. You can start to put this behind you," Draco said, earning a knowing stare from Hermione.

"Thank you," Harry spoke, wiping his eyes as he pulled out of Hermione's embrace. "I'm just going to go lay down." He sulked out of the room to go to the guest room down the hall.

Hermione looked at Draco. "You'd better be careful. If I ever have Harry crying to me about you, I'll end up in Azkaban next to Malakai for what I do to you," she threatened.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Understood…"

* * *

"It's been a long time since I set foot in this office," Blaise Zabini said as he sat down in Draco's home office. "Nice to see you, Draco. Of course, you only call me when you need a favor."

Draco laughed. "I send you letters all the time, Blaise. And you know you're always welcome here, my friend." He sat down at his desk. "Now, let's get to business."

"Right, I've been following some leads about one Malakai Ryans and found much more than I anticipated," Blaise explained. Since leaving Hogwarts, he became an investigator for the ministry. "It seems he had some shady connections."

"Like what?"

"He did a lot of blackmailing and some jobs for random gangs, most notably the Silver Fang. I don't think he was a member of any gang, but they speak highly of him in the slums. I guess it's definitely possible that he could have been doing some shady business on the side while Harry thought he was at Quidditch practice or something," the man mentioned.

This worried Draco greatly. "So is Harry in any danger?"

"I'm afraid he might be. Those gangs will be feeling a big loss with Malakai's sentencing. They might take it out on Harry to make ends meet." Blaise had a frown on his face. He'd always known his friend's attachment to Harry Potter and hoped that everything would turn out alright. He wanted Draco to be happy.

"Blaise, make sure there are people around Harry that can protect him and the twins. I can't have anything else happen to him. One more tragic even and I'm afraid he'll never recover."

* * *

The bookstore was empty for once. Harry enjoyed a brief moment of solitude as he continued to stack books accordingly on the shelves. Hermione would be home now, taking care of little Devin. "God." Harry sighed, climbing up the ladder to put more books away. His body and mind were exhausted from all that had been going on lately. Hermione had offered to just keep the store closed that day, but he insisted on working.

Even seeing Malakai put away wasn't enough to make him feel any better. Hermione had said he no longer had to worry. Catherine told him he no longer had to have fear. But Harry did worry and the fear was taking permanent residence inside of him. Even when Hermione would pat him on the back, he couldn't help but flinch.

And now he had to worry about Draco. The blond seemed intent on getting back together, and he'd been taking care of him lately. Not to mention, he was good with the twins. But Harry didn't want another boyfriend, much less the man who broke his heart all those years ago. But still every time he saw Draco, he lost control of himself. "I thought I was done with these feelings," he said, burying his face in his hands. But even when Draco touched him, he felt uncomfortable.

Why would Draco want him anyway? He was broken…a discarded doll…There was no reason for Draco to even think about him as anything more than that.

Hearing the bell over the door ring, Harry looked up. "Are you alright?" _Speak of the devil,_ Harry thought as Draco towered over him.

At that moment, every memory of their relationship ran through his mind: the dating, the love-making, the arguing and finally the horrible breakup. "I'm fine," he said coldly. _I have to get rid of these feelings!_ _Draco deserves someone perfect and beautiful, not broken and ugly…_

"You sure?" he asked. "Maybe you should take it easy for a while." Draco could see how exhausted Harry was. His body looked as though it would collapse any moment now. His own vivid emerald eyes were now dull and hollow…shells of what they used to been.

"I told you, I'm just fine," the raven-haired man replied. He couldn't let himself fall back in love with the blond in this moment of vulnerability. "Now, I'm very busy. So do you need something?"

Draco shook his head. "I just came to see how you were doing today," he told Harry, a grin on his face.

Harry frowned. "You don't have to baby me. I have work to do anyway," he explained. In truth, Harry simply wanted to keep busy, figuring it would keep him from thinking too much about other things. "It's none of your business anyway." He turned his back to Draco, putting more books away.

Draco quickly wrapped his arms around Harry from behind. It was pure instinct taking over, telling him to hold on to the smaller man. He could feel the thin body shaking. But Harry wasn't crying. He was _fuming_. The raven-haired man began flailing, doing anything to get away. "Harry, calm down!" Draco yelled.

Now came the tears. "No, let me go! Don't touch me!" Harry screamed. In his mind's eye, he could see Malakai reaching for him, ready to hurt him again. "Go away! Don't! Don't hurt me!"

Draco understood now and let go of him. His heart ached at the sight of his ex-lover. "Harry, I'm not Malakai," he told the thing man, who was now sobbing on the floor.

Harry opened his eyes and looked up at Draco. "Well, you're just as bad. First you break my heart, because you don't have the balls to tell your family to shove it. Then you come back years later, acting as though you care for me…like I'm important to you or something…"

"You are impor—"

"Stop it! If I was important to you, you'd have never let me go! But you did. You threw me out so you could have Pansy and your Malfoy inheritance. And I was miserable while you were living your socially wealthy life. Good job, lovely little family…nobody would have guessed that you had to stomp all over 'The Boy Who Lived' in order to get it all."

"Oh yes, Harry…I was _so_ happy with _Pansy_. And don't you ever compare me to that prick. I never laid a hand on you. I never tried to hurt you."

"You didn't have to. You ended up doing a hell of a job on it anyway!"

"Are you ever going to let it go, Harry? Do you not see how hard I'm trying to make it up to you? I've apologized up the wall, and I've been making sure that you and the kids are safe."

"Sorry that I'm not falling into you arms in gratitude, _Malfoy_! I appreciate all that you've been doing for us, but you can't expect me for forget all that has happened between us," Harry told him, tears running down his face.

For a moment, the two were silent. It occurred to Draco the full extent of what Harry was suffering. How was he ever going to be able to trust another man again? Both of his serious relationships had left him with less than what he started with. How could he still be sane? After all he had been through with Voldemort…Harry deserved much better than all this. "Please…can you just leave?" Harry asked meekly, not looking at Draco.

"Okay, I'll leave. I just want you to know that I always loved you, even if I wasn't the best at showing it," he replied with a nod as he walked out the door, leaving Harry alone again.

Harry sobbed.

* * *

In the office of the Malfoy residence, Draco sat in his armchair, staring at the fire that was blazing in the fireplace. He felt horrible about what transpired in the bookstore. Who could blame Harry for not trusting him? A heartbreaker and the son of a notorious death eater, who was currently still in Azkaban. For all Draco cared, the man could rot in there along with Malakai Ryans.

The blond was beginning to think that Harry would never forgive him. Maybe it was time that Draco gave up on the broken 'Boy Who Lived'. Chances were Harry would never feel comfortable with him, or any other man for that matter. It wasn't fair. Nothing was ever fair for Harry. His chance for a normal life was continuously snatched away, against his will and control. No, it definitely wasn't fair.

Just as he was thinking this, a woman walked into the room. She was his worst nightmare, and he wasn't sure he could handle her being there at the moment. "Who let you in?" he growled.

"Oh Drakey, you're so funny," Pansy said, a nasty smirk evident on her face. "I never gave back my copy of the key, remember?"

"Okay, okay," he said in surrender. He absolutely hated when she called him 'Drakey' but he let it go for the moment. He knew there had to be some reason t her being there. "What do you want?"

The sugary coating disappeared. Malice appeared. "I saw you at that trial, you know. I wouldn't imagine you going to defend your ex-lover. Or maybe you forgot the deal we had," she said to him.

"Refresh my memory."

Angrily, she slapped him across the face. "In exchange for my silence concerning your…preferences, you promised to never see him again!" she screeched.

Draco rubbed his slapped cheek. "We made that deal when I agreed to marry you, Pansy. Now we're divorced. It's no longer your business who I defend in court or who I see in my spare time."

"I'll tell your mum, Draco. What will she have to say…and your father in Azkaban? I'm sure he can still find some way to have all of this inheritance taken away from you," she threatened.

"I'll have you know that most of this I earned myself," the blond replied.

"But don't you want to stay on good terms with your Mummy? She'd be disappointed if something like this got leaked out say…to the Daily Prophet?" she questioned. Draco looked down. It would definitely be a blow to his business if the whole world found out that he and Harry Potter got it on and then he proceeded to break the savior's heart. It would be bad publicity for him and even for Kendrick. Forget the fact that Harry didn't need this sort of thing at the moment.

"What do you want?"

"More money…and I want to see my son."

Draco stood up. "I'll give you money, Pansy, but you don't have the right to see Kendrick after the way you treated him, like he wasn't a human or something. You always put him down. And I won't subject him to that. You can't call yourself a mother!"

"What did you expect? He's just the product of a fake love. All I wanted was to be your wife, but you only had eyes for Potter! Every time he was in the paper, you'd stare at that front page like it was a mirror or something. I bet you'd be peachy if it had been the Chosen One himself who bore this child instead of me!"

"How does that excuse you from acting that way towards your own son?"

Draco then looked over to the door of the office, to find Kendrick watching the two of them. "Mommy," he said, a surprised look on his face. He hadn't seen her since the divorce.

"Oh, Kenny," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "I came just to see you." She pulled her son into an awkward hug. The boy didn't hug her back, feeling that it wasn't appropriate. At that moment, the boy wished he was at the Weasley house with Angela, the twins and Harry. He felt guilty about thinking this when he should have been happy to see his mother.

When Kendrick pulled away from his mother, it was obvious to Draco that his son felt uncomfortable with the woman. "No," he said suddenly.

"No?" Pansy asked.

"I don't care what you say to my parents or the Daily Prophet. You get the hell out of my house!" he yelled.

Pansy was taken aback. She was so used to him just giving in for fear that someone might find out that he was in love with Harry Potter. Now he was fighting back. "Okay, but you asked for it, Draco Malfoy! I'll make sure you're miserable for the rest of your life!" she yelled, leaving the mansion. Draco could hear her screaming, even as she left to go outside. "I'll let the whole world know just what a monster you are!"

Kendrick looked at his father. "What is she talking about, Daddy? You're not a monster."

Draco shook his head. "No, not anymore…I was a bit of a monster in my youth, and I made some bad decisions. But I realized my mistakes," he explained. "All of them…"

* * *

Next week, Catherine had the distinct feeling that there was something different about Harry. Her innate quality of openness had always encouraged him to be truthful with her and answer most of her questions. She'd never had this problem with anyone before. He'd been a little obstinate from time to time, but he always came through after. But this was rather alarming to her. She could barely get him to speak at all. "Harry, is something the matter? You seem a little more withdrawn than usual today," she said to him, a concerned look on her face.

"I know I always say this, but I _really_ don't want to talk about it. I had a really rough few weeks. And not the kind of rough that you can sit with your girlfriends and a pint of ice cream to make it all better," he said a little bitterly. And why not? Harry felt that he had every right to be bitter about his life. Of course, he did his best not to impose his bitterness on others, but there it was, lurking inside of him, just waiting for the right moment to snap.

"Alright then, Harry, I won't ask you about it then. Let's move on to something else," she said, grabbing a mirror. She held it so that Harry could see his own exhausted face in the glass. "Tell me what you see, Harry."

"Again? How many times do I have to tell you what I think about myself? I feel like every week you expect me to say something different or new. You know what I see in that mirror. It's just a useless, broken, unwanted man, with only his children to live for. And his two best friends are happily married, adding to the question on just why he can't get it right. He's had almost everything in his life go wrong, including his love life, and even though he though all the terror was done with, and all the fighting was done with…he was wrong. And now it's just left him there, staring out from that silly glass like a lost soul," he rambled, not taking much time to breathe.

Catherine was taken aback by this sudden outburst. She put the mirror down. "I understand your frustration, Harry."

"How can you understand? Because you've spent time with other people like me? As fucked up as me? That doesn't mean that you know everything! You have _no_ idea what it's like! I feel threatened just being out of the house. Even here…! Isn't this supposed to be a safe place? Then why don't I ever feel safe?" He curled up in a ball where he sat on the chair, his arms wrapping around his bent legs. Catherine noted his stance, and how small it made the man look. He looked as though he wanted to just disappear and forget everything.

"I'm sorry. You're right, Harry. I don't know what it's like. I thank you for telling me and hope that you'll continue to open up to me," she said in a soft voice. It almost made Harry feel worse that she wouldn't get mad at him. He almost wanted her to yell at him for being so rude. Now he just felt guilty. He looked down, ashamed of himself. "Now, I really want to hear about what your perception of relationships has been. That is, if you don't mind. There's not pressure."

Harry gulped. "Relationships? As in…romantic relationships?" The therapist nodded at him and he continued. "Well, I guess I haven't had a fair share of good ones. Maybe some were good while they lasted, but the end always ruined everything. I don't plan on finding someone else to love, Dr. LaRue. I think the only reasons I'm around are my children and Hermione and Ron, as well as Angela and Devin of course, although I guess they have so many uncles, it wouldn't be horrible to have one less."

Catherine frowned at him. "Would you commit suicide?" she asked.

"I would try. Of course, I'd probably fail at that too."

"What about Draco Malfoy?" she questioned. She'd noticed him a great deal during the trial. It had been easy for her to see just what his feelings and intentions for Harry were.

Harry looked down now, averting his eyes so they could avoid those of his therapist. She had a way of looking at him that made him want to tell her everything. "I-I don't want to talk about that. It's long since past I've thought about him in any romantic sense so let's just leave it at that, shall we?"

Catherine took note. She'd known Draco was the problem.

* * *

Ron and Hermione peeked into the guestroom. What they saw had to be the best they'd seen in weeks: Harry, completely asleep in bed. There was a sleeping potion on his nightstand of course. Catherine had encouraged him to take a small dose before sleeping. And surely enough, it was doing its job rather well. Harry slept like a baby.

Tip-toeing into the family room, the two noted on how quiet the house was at the moment. It didn't feel like the good kind of silence though. It felt like the quiet before the storm. Both of them looked at each other nervously. But they couldn't think of anything that could go wrong. The children were all asleep in Angela's room. It was decided that they could share the room while Harry was recuperating a bit.

Suddenly there was a knock to the front door. Hermione rushed to get it. As the door opened, a glum looking Arthur Weasley stood on their doorstep. "Mr. Weasley, what's wrong?" she asked him, a concerned look on her face.

"Remus Lupin has been hurt."


	6. Holiday

**As the Petals Fall**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

**Note:** Sorry I haven't been writing! I haven't had much time lately, with my school work and getting sick and all that fun stuff. But I'm back! This chapter is much longer than the rest, and I've given you all a little gift at the end!

**Chapter 6- Holiday**

It didn't take Harry long to decide that he never wanted to see another hospital room ever again, especially one in St. Mungo's. The smell of the sterilized walls made the green-eyed man want to vomit. The fact that they spent much of their time bound by the clean white walls lately definitely didn't help his gag reflex. And now he had even more a reason to feel sick to his stomach. Remus…When Hermione and Ron woke him to give him the grave news, he felt the entire world crumble before him. He knew immediately…it was his own fault that this happened. He should have been able to protect his friend, who had done so much for him in the past.

Arthur had kindly offered to stay with the kids, and the trio rushed to St. Mungo's. The sky was still dark and the sun wouldn't rise for another five hours. Nobody knew what would happen once they got there. Remus Lupin could have already passed on…As far as Harry knew, this would be the end of the werewolf's life. And that scared him the most. He'd already lost his mother and father and Sirius, not to mention Dumbledore…Remus was the last link to the parents he never got to know.

The feeling of relief at Remus' survival cannot be explained with words. At the medi-wizard's affirmation of the werewolf's slow but sure recovery, tears welled up in their eyes. Of course, they rushed to be at his side. The sooner they figured out what happened the better. The aurors would already be on their way to Remus' residence to make a thorough investigation. But Harry wanted to do what he could to help, especially since he was the one to blame.

"I was alone at home," Remus started. He looked so tired and defeated that Harry felt it difficult to even hold his soft gaze. He would forgive, Harry knew, but that wouldn't stop the guilt. "Someone came through the window. I'm sure the glass is still all over my floor." A soft smile graced the man's face as he looked at the three. Quite truthfully, Remus was just happy to be alive. He would never blame anyone for the attack. "He was asking for you, Harry." Harry felt his stomach drop. It was more his fault than he thought in the first place. "Don't worry…I would never tell him where you were."

Just as Harry felt the need to run out of the room, Draco arrived, carrying a sleeping Kendrick on his hip. Harry caught his gaze and simply stared back blankly, not knowing what he should say or do. He remembered their argument from the day before, but didn't want to mention anything in front of the others. Remus had enough to worry about and he knew that Hermione would try to put her nose in his business if she knew something was up. Hermione looked between the two, and Ron looked at her, knowing she was thinking something. Indeed, she was. Of course, she knew something was going on between the two and from the looks of it…it wasn't too pretty. She would have to pry it out of Harry later.

"Harry, I need to talk to you," the blonde said quietly, not wanting to disturb his sleeping child. He had important things to tell Harry, like the fact that the attack definitely had something to do with Malakai Ryans. Whoever attacked Remus had a reason for wanting to keep Malakai out of Azkaban.

"Malfoy…I'd rather not right now," he replied, tearing his green eyes away from the gray. He felt his chest tighten, the pain growing there. "Remus is a little more important right now. You'll just…have to wait." He didn't look at the other man, not wanting to make that eye contact again. It frightened him how much Draco could see right through him, even after all the years they spent apart. Draco could still look at him and know exactly what went on in his mind…well, maybe not everything. He didn't seem to understand how different Harry was from the past Harry.

"Please, Harry…If you don't want to talk to me, at least talk to Blaise," he pleaded, just wanting Harry to know how much danger he was in. If he didn't think it was urgent, he wouldn't tell the other man at all. Why make him worry? But after this attack, it was clear that some changes needed to happen in order to keep Harry as well as the twins safe. "Please…Harry, I'll call him when we get out of here. Just talk to him."

Now Harry was even more confused. _Why would I need to talk to Blaise? I haven't seen him since school ended,_ he thought to himself, still looking away from the blonde. "I told you, I don't have time. Not right now…"

Hermione couldn't help but feel like something big was going on. Malfoys never pleaded. They certainly never begged. But she was sure Draco would have gotten on his knees if Harry would just talk to him. "Draco, can I have a word?" she asked him suddenly. "Harry, you can at least take Kendrick right?" When Draco looked to Harry, the thinner man only nodded, accepting the child from Draco. Kendrick groaned exhaustedly at being moved, but quickly fell back asleep.

Draco followed Hermione out of the room and down the hall, where the lounge was. "So, what happened?" she asked immediately. "I've never seen him try so hard to ignore you before. Whatever you did, Draco, I can assure you he doesn't need it right now." She readied herself to yell at the man.

Draco put his hands up defensively. "I know, okay? You don't have to tell me, Granger. Harry and I got into a bit of a fight at the bookstore yesterday. I said things that I didn't mean and I'm hoping he did too. But that's not important right now," he explained. "I've been having Blaise investigate Malakai and it turns out that the prick's been doing work for a few gangs. Now that he's in jail, these gangs have lost quite a pretty penny. That's why they attacked Remus. They were looking to find Harry and get their revenge. I'm sure some of them were pretty good buddies with Malakai. We need to do something to protect Harry and the twins."

Hermione stood there, shocked. This wasn't anything close to what she expected. The idea that some gangsters wanted to kill Harry was beyond any kind of belief. How quickly people forget the savior of the wizarding world. "And you decided to wait until now to tell us this? What if they got to Harry or James and Sirius before you ever said anything?" Now she felt angry. Angry and Scared…but mostly angry. "We have to do something…"

"Hey, better that I told you now than never, Granger. Please, can we just focus on what to do instead of you being angry at me too?" He ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed. "I have to get Kendrick back home…but this needs to be resolved today."

Hermione agreed and they returned to the hospital room. The first thing Draco saw was Harry, rocking his son back and forth. The child's head rested on the thin shoulder, a bit of drool running from his open lips. Draco had never seen his son look as peaceful as he did early that morning with Harry. The blonde man suddenly started dreaming of them being a family. He and Harry would sit by the pool as their children splashed around in the water. At night, they would all cuddle up together in their pajamas…Then the two parents would tuck the children in their beds before going to sleep side by side.

"Malfoy? We'll be leaving now," Harry said, snapping Draco out of his daydream. Harry returned the sleeping child to him, before walking out the door.

* * *

Catherine quickly noticed that Harry still withdrew himself from the conversation. She couldn't blame him. It was ridiculous how all these unfortunate things could happen to one person. It was no surprise that this man felt so broken inside. Tragedy after tragedy bestowed itself upon him, not giving him any choice or chance to escape. "Harry, how is Mr. Lupin doing?" she asked curiously. Of course, she heard about the dreadful attack in the Daily Prophet. Everyone had heard about it.

Harry looked at her once before shifting his gaze away. "Oh, the doctor says he'll be out of the hospital soon enough. They just wanted to make sure he would be okay before sending him home," he replied.

"That's great, Harry. How are you feeling about it?" She wanted to know exactly how this was affecting her patient. It was obvious that he was having a hard time already. With this in tow, she knew this would be a tough session.

"I feel fine. I wasn't the one hurt," he said. He almost wished that it had been him lying in the hospital bed. That way, the guilt wouldn't crush him so much. Catherine hoped he would open up to her a little more than this, but she couldn't force anything out of the thin man. Harry just didn't want to explain to her how guilty he felt. If the attacker didn't have some reason to look for Harry, Remus never would have gotten hurt. Everyone always strived to protect him, but he couldn't protect one of the most important people in his life.

"Okay, I know you don't want to talk about him, but I'd like for you to tell me about Draco," Catherine said. The subject of Draco had bothered her for quite some time now. Harry obviously still had feelings for him, and Draco for him, but the past often had a way of keeping lovers apart. "I think you should talk about your relationship with him and your break up. It might help you feel better."

Harry shook his head. He hated the way she always brought up Draco. He was the one thing he wanted to talk about the least. "He has nothing to do with this. Sometimes I see him and sometimes I don't. I couldn't care less either way," he replied, crossing his arms now.

Catherine frowned. "You must have noticed his feelings for you, Harry. There's obviously still something between you," she told him. "I often find that romance affects people more than anything else, whether in a good or a bad way. I think if you talked about Draco, you could at least get it off your chest. It wouldn't hurt…"

"No! I don't want to talk about that! We had a thing in the past and now we don't and it's going to stay that way," he said, closing the subject. He didn't want to explain how confused he felt about Draco. One moment he thought he could love the man and the next he loathed him. And in the back of his mind, Malakai sat there, just waiting to strike. He remembered all the things Malakai called him in the past: ugly, scarred, broken…Harry knew the man was right, and he didn't want put himself up for heartbreak again.

Catherine sighed now. It seemed like Harry kept on getting worse…

* * *

Sitting at the kitchen table in her own home, Hermione rested her head in her hands against the table's top. She hadn't slept a wink, even when they got back from the hospital. Ron, of course, took a few hours to nap by himself, leaving Hermione to watch over the kids while brooding about what to do with Harry and the twins. Now he stood in the kitchen, watching her intently. "Ron, what should we do? If they went to Remus' to find him then they'll definitely come here," she said to her husband.

"Well, the children could all stay at the Burrow. I'm sure if we asked Tonks and Kingsley, they would put some wards up to keep them safe. We could stay here to protect our own home. Harry has to go somewhere nobody would ever think to look for him," Ron said. Hermione looked up at him, surprised at his calm. Over the years, he'd stopped being so afraid of everything. Still, it was strange to see him so level-headed. Hermione felt relieved at his calmness, knowing that she herself could fall apart any moment.

"So we should hide him away? Ron, he can't be alone at a time like this," she mentioned. There were many conflicting concerns at the moment. On one hand, Hermione didn't want Harry to be in danger of getting hurt, but she didn't want to make a negative impact on his already poisoned mental state.

"Well, then someone has to go with him. You're right. He can't be alone. But if we went with him it would be far too obvious," Ron countered. They both silenced for a moment of thought.

When Hermione's eyes lightened with an idea, Ron knew he had a terrible feeling about what she was about to say. "Draco Malfoy will go with him," she said. Before Ron could protest, she continued, "He cares a lot about Harry and nobody will really expect the two to hide together."

"'Mione, I'm sure Malfoy has enough on his plate right now, without us asking to leave everything to take care of Harry," Ron protested. In reality, he didn't like the idea of leaving his best friend alone with the fiend. He still found it difficult to forgive the blonde for what he'd done to Harry in the past. It was definitely strange for Ron to feel like Harry's protector when Harry was always the one saving the world. Though he was glad to have a chance to pay his friend back for all he'd done, he wished the chance came in a much different way and under other circumstances.

"Ronald, we don't have much of a choice here," she replied. "Draco knows that if he does anything to hurt Harry, he'll have to answer to me. I trust he'll be able to hide Harry." She grabbed her phone and dialed Draco's number.

"_Hello?"_ came Draco's voice.

"Hi, Draco, it's Hermione…" She explained their idea to Draco, who listened respectively. He found it a good idea to have Harry hide away, and was surprised that Hermione would consider him someone to trust. "Well, I know you really love Harry and all, and nobody would ever guess that he'd be with you, so he'd be well hidden."

"_I do have an apartment in Hogsmeade. I usually go there on business, but I could relocate there and Kendrick can stay with the other children at the burrow, if you don't mind. I feel he'd be safer there,"_ Draco told her. _"And he always likes being with the twins and Angela."_

Hermione nodded, then realizing that Draco couldn't see her nod. "Of course, we keep him with us at the burrow. Molly is always happy to have company and I'm sure she won't mind. And Fred and George are in Hogsmeade so they'll be nearby as well. That's perfect." She frowned now. "We just need to talk Harry into going…"

"_Good luck with that, Granger. Now, I've got to go. Kendrick's just got home from school…homework time,"_ he said with the sound of dread in his voice. Hermione laughed even as they hung up. It was so strange to hear Draco speaking as a father. Yes, it was obvious that he loved Kendrick with all his heart, but it wasn't something Hermione would have expected of their former nemesis.

She looked to Ron. "He'll do it."

"Do what?" Harry asked as he walked into the kitchen. He could sense the tension caused by his own appearance. Hermione dreaded breaking the news to him. She knew he wouldn't take it well.

"Well, Ron and I were talking…and we think it's the best idea that you go into hiding. It'll only be for a little while, but just to make sure that you're safe. James and Sirius can stay at the burrow and Tonks is currently putting up wards there so they'll be safe. You won't have to worry about anything," Hermione explained.

Harry looked at them, feeling dejected and sad. "Please don't send me away! Don't take my children away. I need them," he said, his small body starting to shake. When Hermione went to take his hand, he pulled back. "I don't want to be alone right now! I can't leave!" He stepped backward, wanting to keep from making any physical contact with the two. He knew that they meant well, but the thought of being alone scared him.

Hermione shook her head, looking away from her frightened friend. Ron stepped up this time. "Mate, you won't be alone. Draco agreed to go with you. You guys can stay in his Hogsmeade apartment. Fred and George will be there all the time. You won't be alone at all," he said, trying to calm his friend. It was dreadful, seeing his best friend in such a state.

The news about Draco only made Harry want to go even less. "No! Not Draco…I won't go with him. Hermione…can't we find some other way?" he asked incredulously. He couldn't be sure about his feelings concerning Draco. Being stuck in an apartment with nobody except the blonde was almost worst than being alone. He knew he would have to face feelings he didn't want to face and that frightened him greatly. Draco always seemed so sure of himself and so sure of what he wanted in life. Harry, on the other hand, never ended up where he wanted to be…

"Harry, we don't really have a choice. It's the best for all of us right now. We can keep in touch with you through Fred and George. And I know that you'll be okay. You've been through so much worse than this, Harry. You spent seventeen years with the Dursleys and you made it through, right?" Hermione mentioned. "You'll be okay for a few weeks with Draco. I'll take care of the shop and you can have a little holiday."

"Hermione! I'm not going on a holiday! And anyway, I need to go to therapy!" he said, just grasping for some reason not to go. He didn't think he could make it without his children. They were the only reason he was there at all.

"You're going to have to apparate or use the floo network," Hermione replied. She hated how upset he was, but she couldn't do anything. She had to make sure that Harry was safe. That was more important than anything. With all of Malakai's friends looking for him…more people could get hurt like Remus. Hermione wanted to prevent that from happening.

With the complete destruction of any hope of staying, Harry broke down. Tears ran down his face, his thin body shaking violently. When Ron tried to steady him, Harry only pushed him away. "Don't touch me!" he yelled. "You're throwing me out…!" He knew deep down that they were doing this for his own good, but the thought of being alone with Draco and in hiding scared him. He fell to his knees, sobbing. Looking up, he could see Hermione, who cried now too, her delicate hand covering her mouth.

Finally, he let Ron take a hold of his arm. The redhead pulled his best friend into a firm— of course manly— hug. And there, Harry cried.

* * *

The burrow had an air of gloom as Harry sat at the kitchen table. He packed the night before and only had to wait for Draco to arrive in order to leave. The twins seemed excited to stay with the Weasleys, especially once they heard that Angela and Kendrick would be staying with them as well.

Mrs. Weasley rushed about, making sure that Harry had everything he could possibly need while away. "Did you pack enough undies?" she asked cheerfully. Maybe Harry imagined the air of gloom because everyone else seemed happy about this new development. He nodded to her, knowing that if he spoke, he might cry. She smiled at him, the same way she always did: with kindness and concern. "Just making sure you have everything you need, dear."

Harry mustered a smile for her now. "Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I really appreciate you taking James and Sirius in for me. I know they'll be safest here." It was a sort of sad smile, and Mrs. Weasley could see the tears hiding in his emerald eyes. Harry stood so he could embrace the woman, who cradled his head on her breast like she would a child.

"Now, now, dear…everything will be okay. I promise you," she said soothingly. When Harry pulled back, he nodded. He didn't want to upset the woman who acted as his mother throughout almost his entire life. He was always grateful to her for everything she had done for him.

"Yeah, I know. I'll be back soon," he said, looking on his children as they ran around the burrow. They were excited to live there for the next few weeks and couldn't wait for Kendrick to show up. They didn't have a notion of how much danger they were in. Of course, Harry made sure to keep it that way. He couldn't have his own children frightened like that. So as far as they knew, it was a long sleepover while their father went on vacation. "Oh, before I forget…James is allergic to nuts and Sirius won't eat anything that's green." He and Mrs. Weasley both smiled now.

"Aye, I'll remember."

James and Sirius came running into the kitchen. They looked up at their father with a strange expression that gave Harry the idea that they probably knew more than they let on. Children were always surprisingly perceptive, more so than they were given credit. "Daddy, we'll be okay," James spoke, and the two moved forward to hug Harry, who held onto them tightly. Harry did his best not to cry in front of them. He felt terrible, leaving them, despite knowing that they would have safety here. That was most important.

The moment of dread arrived as soon as Draco walked through the front door of the burrow with Kendrick in tow. "Kenny!" James and Sirius said, flocking to the blonde boy, who simply blushed at all the attention he was getting. Despite the child's looks, he differed greatly from his father, getting embarrassed rather easily. "Come on. We'll show you around," Sirius said, each boy taking one of Kendrick's hands. They pulled him out before he could even say anything, passing Hermione and Ron as they walked into the kitchen.

"Hello Draco," Hermione said in a soft tone. Ron remained silent. They both hated everything happening: having to send Harry away in order to keep everyone safe, including Harry himself.

"Hello, Hermione…" Yes, he had to get used to not calling her 'Granger'. He looked over to Molly Weasley now. "Thank you so much for taking Kendrick in. I figured he'd be safer here than anywhere," he said, now looking over at Harry. "Are you ready to go?"

Harry shook his head. "I have to say goodbye…" He went to Molly first. "Thanks again, Mrs. Weasley…" he said, hugging her once again. She nodded, not trusting her own speech. He went to Ron and Hermione next. "I'm not mad at either of you, you know. And I want you guys to be safe too. If that means leaving, then I can't do anything but leave." They both hugged him, tears spilling from Hermione's eyes. Harry gave her a brotherly kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon I'm sure." Except, he wasn't sure at all. Nobody could be.

Now Harry looked at Draco, simply nodding at the blonde. The children were so happily playing that he didn't want to disturb them. Plus, he knew that if he saw them again, he wouldn't want to leave. He would lose all of his courage and hold onto them so tightly, never letting go. But now he had to in order to keep them safe. "Goodbye everyone," he said quietly.

"Harry, hold onto my arm," Draco told him. He hesitated a second before obeying, grasping Draco's arm tightly. Even this slight contact between the two had an immense affect on him. He couldn't help but look into Draco's mercury colored eyes…and he was sure that too much contact with these eyes would be as harmful as the lethal element of their color. But before he could dwell on his thoughts, he was thrust out of the burrow and into surroundings that he no longer recognized. One thing he did recognize, however, was the nauseous feeling gained from apparition.

Looking around at his new dwelling, Harry instantly fell in love with Draco's apartment. Somehow, it felt more like a home than Harry's own house ever did. Everything was very tidy, but more modest looking than one would expect of a Malfoy. The rooms consisted of warm colors, like greens, reds, and golds. Harry was quick to notice that there was only one bedroom to the place. Draco's own bedroom was mostly green and silver, very Slytherin of him.

"I usually only come here on business, so it's rare that Kendrick ever comes with me. But you can have the bed. I'll take the couch," Draco explained. There was a terrible awkwardness between the two that could not be easily remedied. Draco scratched the back of his head, a very un-Malfoy thing of him to do. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened the other day in the bookstore. I hated that you were comparing me to that prick…" It killed him inside to think that Harry looked at him the same way he looked at Malakai.

"I guess…I'm sorry too. That's not really what I meant. I…I just get scared. I'm not the same person I was when I was with you, Draco. I just don't want you to expect anything from me. I can't be what you want me to be anymore," he explained. Harry knew that Draco wanted him back, and he was pretty sure Draco would treat him right this time. But Harry was broken. There was no way he could let himself put his heart on the line again…not for Draco and not for anyone else. As far as love was concerned, Harry didn't want any part of it. Dumbledore once said to him that his love was his greatest weapon…but now Harry felt like it was his love that was tearing him apart. Maybe Tom Riddle had the right idea.

Draco nodded, a little sad now. He hated how little Harry thought of himself. This was the man who saved the world, and how had the world repaid him? By stripping him of his dignity and identity and giving him a warped sense of what love is really like. "I understand." He looked at Harry awkwardly. "I'd better go unpack. You can have on dresser. I'll take the other." With that, he walked into his bedroom, leaving Harry in the living room by himself.

Now alone, Harry decided it was time to test out the comfortable green couch in the middle of the room. It looked so soft that Harry simply couldn't resist its call to him. With ease and relief, he sunk into the cushions of the couch, and eventually moved so he was lying on his back across the whole couch. And for the first time in months, Harry Potter fell asleep without the aid of any potion.

When Draco came back into the room, he was pleased and surprised to find Harry sleeping on his couch. It was obvious that the other hadn't been sleeping well, especially with the appearance the frail man had revealed at the courtroom. He was sure the other still had a glamour spell on himself, not wanting his friends to worry. Now it was a big relief to find the other sleeping so peacefully on the couch. Happily, Draco sat down next to him, for his thin body didn't take up much of the couch. His long fingers gently ran through his hair and a sleeping Harry moved to nuzzled against the hand quite adorably. Smiling, the blonde leaned in to place one kiss on the man's temple. "Have a good sleep," he said, finding a blanket to throw over the raven-haired man.

* * *

Harry absolutely hated the floo network. It wasn't as bad as apparating, but he remembered the time where he accidentally ended up in Knockturn Alley and always feared that it would happen to him again. So using the network to get to therapy was something that he would have to get used to quickly. "Good morning, Harry," Catherine said, sitting in the same chair she always did. "Please, have a seat."

The thin man nodded, sitting on the couch across from her. He never really like lying down because it made him feel too much like a patient, even though that was exactly what he was. Catherine never minded, just wanting him to feel as comfortable as he possibly could. It was easy for someone to feel uncomfortable talking to a stranger about all of their problems, but she always did the best she could. "So, Harry, how are your new living arrangements?" she asked. Harry expected this. Catherine always knew the worst questions to ask.

"Well, Draco's being more polite than I've ever seen him act in my entire life. It's not really bad living with him, just uncomfortable. You know. There's a past between us and sometimes it's hard to get past it. The part that's getting me down is how much I miss my children. Sometimes I wish they could be there with me, even though I know they'd be unsafe. It's selfish of me, but I can't help it," he explained. Catherine was happy with this answer. It was the most he'd spoken to her in a long time, not to mention, the most he'd ever spoken about Draco at all.

"If you're okay with it, I'd like to ask about that past between you and Draco. Really, it's okay if you're not ready to talk about it. Just if you feel comfortable…" Catherine told him. She knew that Draco was a very touchy subject, but she knew that if Harry would open up to her about Draco, she could probably help him. Much of his misery had to do with the fact that he was in love with the blonde and didn't want to admit it because of this notorious past they had.

Of course, Harry was very reluctant to answer her on this. There were so many things that happened between him and Draco that it was hard to know where to even start. "I…It's just hard to trust him the same way that I used to," he started. "A bond is so hard to make, but so easy to destroy. I mean, I was really in love with him, and I thought he was too. It all started when we were fighting, really. I remember it so clearly, even after all these years…"

_Harry scrubbed the potions cauldrons so hard, his hands were nearly numb. It was late one Tuesday night, and he was stuck in detention with Snape. Of course, the beak-nosed professor hadn't even the manners to stay throughout the detention, just leaving the student to take care of the task, without magic, of course. The thin boy sighed, his muscles aching from all the scrubbing._

_Hearing someone come through the door from behind, Harry kept scrubbing furiously. "I'm almost done, Professor," he said, exhaustion laced through his tone. When nobody answered him, he turned to see Draco Malfoy standing there. As always, his rival stood with an aristocratic attitude that said 'I'm so much better than you'. His gray eyes bore into Harry's emerald with a look of both hatred and intrigue. Running a hand through his perfectly styled blonde hair, Draco smirked. "Detention again, Pot-head? Where's Snape?" he asked in a mocking tone._

_Harry couldn't help but snarl at him. "I don't know. Could you bugger off now?" he asked as he continued to finish his task, his back once again turned to Draco. If there was one thing that bothered the blonde, it was being ignored. Still, with Harry's small, almost girly, body leaning over the cauldron, Draco had a perfectly good view of the dark-haired boy's perfect bottom. That was one thing that did not bother him._

"_No, I don't think I will, Potter. I think I'll just remain here and bother you until you're done. I'm sure Snape won't mind," he said, his smirk widening. Harry turned to him again, frowning before turning back to do his work. "What's the matter, Potter? Do you find me so attractive that just me being here disrupts you from your task? I daresay I can't blame you. I am pretty damn good looking, no?" He went on like this for quite some time, getting closer and closer to Harry, who tried to just continue working. Soon enough, Draco was right behind him, so close that Harry could feel the heat coming from his body._

_Of course, neither Draco nor Harry would admit how attracted they'd been to each other lately. Much less was Harry ready to admit he was attracted to men and not women. Draco had always been pretty open and didn't really care much about gender. But Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived? When he thought about it more, it seemed a little more exciting, really. Imagine having the savior of the world, underneath you, moaning and panting…Just the thought of it made Draco drool. And now he had his chance to make that dream a reality._

_What had given the young Malfoy the courage to suddenly act this way with the Golden Boy? That was easy: confirmation. He'd noticed Harry looking over at him in the Great Hall during dinner on quite a few different occasions. That gave him enough confidence in himself to know he had some chance of getting into Potter's head. Of course, he didn't expect anything except for maybe a good romp in bed. He ended up getting more than he bargained for._

_Now, Harry had two choices. He could push Draco back and make his escape, or he could stay where he was and see what would happen. As much as his mind told him to get away from the blonde, his legs remained still, even as Draco pulled the smaller boy against him, so Harry could feel the strong, muscled chest against his back. Draco heard Harry gasp and reveled at the sound. "W-What are you doing?" Harry asked. He wouldn't admit how much he had longed to be in these arms. _

_Draco smirked. "I'm holding you. Why? Do you think we're going a bit too slow?" he chided, turning Harry so they faced each other. Gray eyes searched green, until he found his answer in the flickering passion he found there. "Potter, if you don't want me to kiss you…say so now," he told Harry, surprising the smaller of the two. Harry never expected a Malfoy to be so fair as to warn him. _

"_C-Call me Harry," he said suddenly. Smiling—yes smiling, not smirking—Draco leaned in, capturing Harry's lips in a soft but passionate kiss. Harry's arms subconsciously wrapped around the Slytherin's neck, unintentionally pulling them closer together. Taking this as a sign, Draco pushed his tongue against Harry's lips until he found entry into the boy's mouth. _

_When they pulled away, they were both smiling. Draco walked over to the door. "Have fun with detention…Harry." With that, the blonde left._

_Suddenly, the cauldron-cleaning he was supposed to do didn't seem so important._

"It was simple really," Harry told Catherine. "And at first I thought he was just going to use me as a fling or an easy romp. He always had the reputation of being the 'sex god' at our school. He'd done almost ever girl…and guy to be honest. I never expected to be different. But I _wanted_ to be." He felt tears stinging in his eyes. "And then we stayed together for the next two years. I really thought he loved me. He never cheated on me, and we spent so much time together, especially once I told Hermione and Ron about what was going on. But it was too good to be true. He broke up with me so he could marry Pansy. He told me there was no way his parents would accept him marrying a man, much less the Boy Who Lived. He threw everything we had away so he could inherit his money and his mansion." The tears fell now. "I'm always afraid that I'm going to put my heart into a relationship again and have the same thing happen. So I need to just give up."

Catherine shook her head. "No, that's not right, Harry. You shouldn't just give up like that. You'll find love," she said encouragingly. She didn't want any of her patients to feel like they didn't deserve love. Harry, especially, deserved to love and be loved. She found herself getting a little angry at how cruel the world had been to this one person. "You so much stronger than the rest of us, you know. I'm not just talking about saving the world, which, of course, is amazing. But you've been through all of these traumatizing events in your life and you're still here. Let me tell you, not many people would be." She smiled softly at him. "So don't give up on love, okay? I know you'll find someone."

Harry shook his head. "I can't. All the love I have goes to my friends and my children. I don't have enough love to give anymore away to another person, especially if they're just going to throw it away, like Draco."

This worried Catherine greatly. She was happy that Harry was finally really opening up to her, but as she feared, he had deeper problems than seemed to lie on the surface. His entire childhood and adulthood are laced with tragedy. How could anyone ever come out in one piece?

She was afraid that maybe Harry couldn't.

* * *

When Harry came through the fireplace of the apartment, he smelled something tasty coming from the kitchen. Walking through the door way into the room, he was more than a little surprised to find Draco in an apron, cooking them dinner. "You cook?" he asked curiously, watching as Draco maneuvered around the kitchen easily. Somehow, Harry always expected that the Malfoys had someone else cook their food, figuring they were pretty much useless around the house. This was surprising.

Draco turned to him and frowned, not liking how surprised Harry sounded. "Yes, I occasionally feed my child," he said. "I thought I'd make us a nice dinner. You know, some chicken, vegetables, some wine…It can be our little housewarming party." More than anything, he wanted Harry to feel comfortable around him and around the apartment.

"That sounds great," Harry told him, smiling softly. Draco couldn't help but grin. It was so rare to see Harry smiling anymore. Now it was more precious than anything else. He wanted to see that smile more often. That would be his mission while living in the same apartment with the smaller man.

When the dinner was completed, Harry helped by setting the table and the two sat down to eat. Draco poured the wine and served the food, and the two enjoyed themselves. They talked about random things. More and more wine was poured. Eventually, they got on the subject of their children. "My children were the reason I stayed with Malakai, you know," Harry said suddenly. Draco could tell that he'd probably had a little too much wine to drink. "I didn't want them to be in danger like they are now. But after Kai almost killed me…that was it. I was so afraid I was going to die and they were going to be all alone. I know Hermione and Ron would have taken care of them…But I didn't want to scare them like I did that morning." He took the bottle of wine, and drank straight from it, as though to drown those memories away.

"Shit, Harry…You should have never been with that guy. He didn't deserve you," Draco told him, taking the bottle from Harry before also taking a chug. With their second bottle empty, Draco figured it was time for them to stop drinking, especially Harry who weighed a lot less than Draco, and disposed of the bottle. Harry followed him, finding it difficult to maneuver without stumbling.

At one point, Draco caught him before he could land on the tiled floor. Harry grasped onto the front of the taller man's shirt, looking up at him. "Do you deserve me, Draco?" he asked, his lips lingering right in front of Draco's. Draco knew this was wrong. Draco knew that he should stop this and put Harry to bed…to sleep, not to do anything else. Still, his mind and body did not listen to one another as he leaned forward, closing the gap between him and the thin man.

In a matter of seconds, he had Harry against the counter, his tongue easily invading the inviting mouth before it. The blonde's hands started moving, remapping every inch of the body he hadn't touched in so long. Every curve…every piece of revealed skin…he wanted everything. And his hands took everything. The exploring hands found the bottom of Harry's shirt and traveled under it to feel the man's thin stomach. His fingers could touch each rung of Harry's ribs, but ignored that fact. They'd found a nipple and began playing with it, making Harry moan.

"Please, Draco," Harry begged. He could feel himself getting hard just with the kiss they shared. He wanted more. It had been so long since he was last with Draco like this, and he missed the closeness he felt with the blonde man before him. With a grunt, Draco lifted him onto the counter so he now sat on it. Harry made quick work of both of their shirts, first shedding his own before moving to the buttons of Draco's. Draco's hand started massaging Harry's crotch through the fabric of his pants, forcing Harry to moan loudly.

Draco tried not to look at the scars all over Harry's body. He remembered the day in his mansion when Harry fell into the pool and had to borrow a robe. Was this why he didn't want Draco to see him naked? Draco thought he was embarrassed because Malakai was waiting with the kids. But it made so much sense now. Harry was ashamed. Draco leaned in, kissing each scar he could see. He wanted to make Harry feel beautiful, because that was exactly what Draco saw him as.

"Draco…I want it…" Even as he said it, Harry couldn't believe the words came from his mouth. He spent the past years hating Draco Malfoy, being angry at him and never wanting to see him again. Now he was moaning and begging for him. Now he needed him so badly, he didn't care how pathetic or whiny he sounded as he pleaded for Draco to fulfill his need.

Draco nodded, unbuckling Harry's pants and quickly pulling down both the pants and the boxers that were underneath. He stroked Harry's proud erection, reveling in the moans he could extract from his lover. He continued until he thought Harry would come. He wanted to be inside the man when that happened. Still, the raven-haired lover groaned in disappointment when the sensations stopped.

"Ready, Harry?" he asked. Harry, unable to speak, nodded. Draco muttered a spell and Harry could felt something cold in his bottom. Lubrication. It was something that Malakai didn't always feel the need to use, and he was grateful now that Draco decided it was important. Feeling his legs being spread, Harry anticipated what was to come. Draco pushed in his index finger carefully, wanting Harry to adjust. Even though they were both drunk, Draco knew he had to be careful.

"Please…Draco," Harry begged again. Draco added another finger, scissoring them to stretch the hole. It didn't take him long to add a third finger. Harry moaned and whined, begging Draco to take him. Finally taking Harry's suggestions into consideration, Draco pulled his fingers out and started to unbuckle his pants, not bothering to pull them off. "Hurry," Harry pleaded. He knew that in the morning he would hate how needy he sounded the night before. That is, if he remembered this in the morning.

Draco positioned himself at Harry's entrance. Gray eyes met with green as he thrust into the man beneath him. "Are you okay, Harry?" he asked, seeing his lover wince at the expected pain.

"Yes. Please move," he replied. The pain he felt now wasn't anything in comparison to what Malakai did to him. Draco complied, pulling out before thrusting back in. They both moaned. There was something about their bodies joining that made Harry want to cry with joy. This was the person he'd been missing throughout the years. And Draco definitely missed having Harry by his side. "Oh Draco…" Harry moaned, wrapping his arms around Draco so he could pull him closer. With their naked chests against each other, the two moaned uncontrollably. "Harder! Please…"

Who was Draco to disobey? His thrusts became faster and harder, aiming for that bundle of nerves that would make Harry scream. "Ah!" There it was. He kept on aiming for that spot, hitting every thrust. "Oh…Mmmm…" Draco missed all of those noises that came from Harry when they made love. He missed the way Harry's eyes glazed over in pleasure, but still locked with his own. He missed how perfectly their bodies moved together, keeping perfect rhythm.

Finally, with a few more thrusts, Harry cried out as he came. His muscles all contracted, his arse clenching around Draco's arousal. This clenching was enough to put Draco over the edge and he quickly followed Harry down.

After, they were both breathing shallowly, Draco collapsing against Harry. Both could hardly believe what they had just done. And on the counter too! Draco had the feeling that he wouldn't be able to think about much else whenever in the kitchen, much less while making something to eat. Muttering a spell, he cleaned them off, as well as the counter.

Looking down at Harry, he found that the other had fallen asleep. This wasn't much of a surprise with all the stress and lack of sleep, not to mention, all the wine Harry had had. A slight moan came from the sleeping man when Draco lifted him off the counter and carried him into the bedroom. Placing him under the covers, Draco followed him into the bed, wrapping his arms around the raven-haired man. He wanted to stay this way for ever, embracing Harry.

Unfortunately, sleep was quick to take him over.

* * *

**I know you all were probably waiting for the sex scene. So there's your gift for continuing to read! I'm not that great at writing sex scenes and rushed it a little. Hope you all like it!**


	7. Pillow Talk

**As the Petals Fall**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Pillow Talk**

When Harry woke up the very next morning, he immediately felt the dull throbbing in his head, a lovely gift left behind by the wine he'd so greedily devoured the night before. Still, he had a familiar feeling that seemed to make most of the pain go away. Well, perhaps it was still there, but Harry just wasn't thinking about it. No, he felt safe now. But he had to figure out why he had this feeling. There was definitely someone's arm around him. And it was definitely a chest his head was resting on, not a pillow. But whose chest was it?

His thoughts ran around until he imagined Malakai beneath him, sleeping peacefully as Harry started his day. Harry's ex-boyfriend definitely had had the habit of holding Harry ever so delicately after a night's worth of beatings and rapes. It always happened once the effect of the alcohol had worn off of him. Then when he woke, he would whisper apologies in Harry's ear, as well as promises that the same thing would never happen again. Harry always knew that it was all lies, but each morning, he hoped that it might truly be the last time.

Then Harry made a realization. Either this was a terrible nightmare, or he was truly back with Malakai. Who else would he be in bed with? Nobody else wanted him, for he was scarred and broken. He sat up quickly, not careful of his sleeping bed-mate. Then looking down, he noticed that Malakai was nowhere in sight. Instead, Draco laid there, his silver eyes remaining shut as though there hadn't been a disturbance at all. His blonde hair looked so messy, something Harry hadn't seen in quite some time. He'd grown used to seeing it slicked back meticulously.

Making these observations about the man, Harry then started to remember everything that had happened the night before. He remembered getting terribly drunk and droning to Draco about how terrible his life was. Then he remembered practically throwing himself at Draco, like some wanton whore. He could still picture Draco lifting him up onto the counter and having his way with him. But the worst of it all was just how much pleasure Harry had found in the arm's of his ex-lover. Even when they were teenagers, they had had amazing sex. Still, Harry felt ashamed that he could possibly feel that much pleasure from someone that he promised himself not to trust ever again.

Suddenly, he ran out of the bed and towards the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him and turning the lock. He couldn't be in that bed with Draco any longer. So Harry sat down on the toilet seat, resting his head in his hands as he thought out the situation. This was the worst thing that could have possibly happened. Now it would be so awkward between them. Either that or Draco would expect some sort of relationship. Or maybe he would never want Harry again after seeing all the scars that were hidden all over his body. No, Draco couldn't want him again. Harry was now just a drunken mistake, something to regret.

Harry couldn't remember a time where he felt so confused and conflicted. He'd really enjoyed the pleasure that Draco had given him. The last time he had felt so good was when he was with Draco at Hogwarts. Even before Malakai came along, there hadn't been any flings that made Harry feel as good. At the same time, he couldn't mislead Draco like this. He'd just told him the other day not to expect anything from him. He didn't want Draco to love him because he knew that he was no longer capable of loving another person romantically. He had his children and his friends. They were his family and that was all the love he could possibly give out.

Then came a knock at the door. "Harry, are you alright in there?" It was Draco's voice, which sounded concerned through the wooden door that barred him from Harry.

"Go away. I'm fine. Just go away," Harry mumbled, rocking back and forth on the toilet seat nervously. He was really freaking out by now. So many different thoughts were racing through his head, all of which having to do with Draco. What did he think of Harry after this escapade? Did he think he was a slut? Or maybe he thought this was Harry's way of professing his love for him. Either way, this was perfectly terrible. One couldn't blame Harry for having a bit of a fit.

"Harry, you can't stay in the bathroom all day." Silence… "Okay, I'm going to make us some breakfast. You take a bath and when you're ready we can talk about this." Draco knew that Harry was freaking out and he could completely understand. He, himself, felt ashamed of what had happened. He loved Harry and he didn't want the man to feel pressure because of this. So he walked away from the bathroom, deciding to give Harry some privacy after he didn't answer his kind offer.

Harry did exactly as he was told, finding that taking a bath was the perfect way of relieving some of his stress. He tried not to think about anything as he rested in the water, cleaning his dirty feeling body. Admittedly, Harry didn't feel as dirty as he had with Malakai, but that man had gone out of his way to make sure that Harry thought of himself as a dirty whore. Draco was kind and sweet, yet that didn't keep Harry from thinking he was disgusting. It was as though he would just have sex with any ex-boyfriend who walked back into his life!

When he came out of the bathroom at last, he found Draco sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of pancakes on two plates. The blonde knew that his lover was partial to pancakes and wanted to make him a good breakfast. He was far too thin for Draco's liking. Besides, pancakes were good comfort food and Harry needed that at a time like this. He didn't waste much time getting to the point though. "Harry, we need to talk about what happened last night," he said, frowning. He could see the pained look in Harry's green orbs. "I'm sorry that I took advantage of you. I should have taken advantage of you that way." He really felt guilty.

Harry was surprised now. He hadn't expected that at all. "No, we were both drunk. And…I was the one that provoked you," he recalled. _Bloody hell! I'm such a slut! Slut! Whore! _He knew it was his fault that it happened at all. Draco hadn't instigated the whole thing anyway.

"Maybe we should just forget that this ever happened. You know, go back to normal?" Draco asked, thinking that this would make Harry feel better. Sex was such a tender subject, and he didn't want Harry to have to regret anything. It was a fling, a random night of passion. Of course, he knew that he would never forget it because Harry had been so brilliant. But he could have Harry distrust him because of this one mistake.

Though Draco was clearly looking out for Harry, the raven-haired man couldn't help but feel hurt. He couldn't shake the thought that he would never be good enough for Draco. Surely, Draco had seen that by now. Part of him hoped that Draco would talk about having a formal relationship again. Again, he remembered himself telling Draco not to expect anything. So he couldn't blame the man for just wanting to forget this all happened. _I'm being ridiculous. I can't keep changing my mind like this…_

"Yeah, I guess that's for the better." Harry hid the hurt. "Thanks, Draco."

* * *

When Harry had first called Catherine, she couldn't hide her surprise. He said was an emergency and he needed to speak to her as soon as possible. So she gave up her lunch break that very same day, wanting to make time for Harry but unable to move other patients around just to see him. She didn't mind missing her lunch since she had a perfectly capable secretary to fetch her something to eat. That didn't keep Harry from feeling even guiltier than he already did. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean for you to lose your lunch hour," he said to her.

"No need to be sorry, Harry. I was thrilled when I first got your call. I'm so happy that you felt like you could talk to me about something and actually reached out to me on your own," she replied, a beaming smile on her face. This seemed to be a major breakthrough for Harry: accepting help from others. "Now, let's see. What was that emergency you were talking about?"

"Draco and I had sex."

It was exactly shocking, but Harry said it as though it was a terrible secret that could tear down the walls. When she heard that they would be living together, Catherine had expected something like this together. Since they had been in a relationship before, they recognized each other's feel, or the map of their bodies. It was easy to feel comfortable with something or someone familiar and she was glad that Harry had found that. But she listened as he spoke.

"I can't believe I let this happen. I was so careful around him and then the second he gets a few glasses of wine into my system, it's like we're the only two people left on earth. I just lost all control over myself. God, I feel like such a whore! I'm disgusting…"

Catherine shook her head. "Harry, you're not a whore and you're not disgusting. Things happen and you can't dwell on them like this. Besides, it's good that you feel comfortable enough to have a normal sex-life or sexual relationship with another person. After what you've been through, I thought this would take much longer for you to grow used to. It's obvious that Draco cares a great deal for you, so I don't see what the problem is."

"No, he doesn't care that much. He said that we should just forget that it ever happened, but I'm not sure if I want to forget. I'm ashamed of myself but…but I felt so bloody _good_. Hell, I almost felt _normal_ again. I'm sure that he won't want me now that he's seen how ugly my body is. It was just a drunken mistake. Maybe it didn't even mean anything to him. Maybe he just needed to get me out of his system. I don't even know what it meant to myself…I'm just…so confused." The confusion was perfectly evident on his face. His eyes drifted around the room, not wanting to look his therapist directly. Her scrutiny was somewhat uncomfortable.

"Harry, you do recall that _you_ were the one that pushed him away, yes?" she asked him, earning a nod in return. "I have two scenarios for you. The first is that you're afraid of not being wanted. Maybe you don't have feelings for Draco anymore, just as you've been telling me for so long, but you need to have someone who wants you. That's normal for someone who's gone through what you've gone through. You just want to feel accepted. The second is that you're afraid of losing Draco himself. Aren't you upset that Draco's finally backing off like you asked him to?"

Harry couldn't answer her because she was so dead on. He'd been so sure ever since the breakup that he would never let Draco Malfoy back into his life. He'd given up on their relationship and that was his own fault. He couldn't trust him anymore, right? Now he was suddenly upset because Draco wasn't trying to romance him anymore. He wasn't asking Harry to love him anymore.

With his silence, Catherine continued. "You're going to have to decide what you want and what's right for you. Talk to Draco about how you're feeling. I'm sure he'll listen. If you're ready for a relationship and he's interested, then I say go for it. You deserve to be happy, Harry, and you deserve to be loved. If you're not ready for that kind of commitment again, then that's okay too. You have to be honest with yourself and Draco," she explained. It made a lot of sense when she worded it this way. "Talk to him."

But when Harry returned to the apartment with the intention of speaking to Draco, he found a note there instead. It was from Draco:

_Harry,_

_I'm sorry that I'm not here now that you're back, but I got an emergency call from work. As you know, I was going to take the day off, but the Minister himself sent an owl. I'll be home late so don't wait up or bother making me anything to eat. And I might even be gone by the time you wake up in the morning. It gets busy here at the ministry and I'm not sure how many days they'll have me working this week. So my presence around the apartment will be sparse. Take care of yourself while you're gone. I don't want to come back to find you a bloody mess._

_Take care,_

_Draco_

There was an emptiness about the apartment without Draco. Harry would just sit on the couch with a good book, but he knew he could never concentrate. He would always wonder what Draco was doing right at that moment and when he would be home. He hoped the blonde would finish early and they could finally talk about their situation, but that would be too good to be true.

* * *

Over the next few days, Harry had barely even seen Draco. He could barely believe that they were living in the same place when he'd only see him for maybe five minutes a day if he was lucky. Harry was starting to feel very insecure without Draco there to comfort him. He knew he was being ridiculous. Draco had to work or he wouldn't be able to afford this lovely apartment. Still, Harry was unreasonably irritated that Draco no longer had any time for him.

One day, Harry got a knock on the door and he rushed to open it, hoping it was Draco (though he knew the blonde would never knock on the door since he owned the place). He found Fred and George standing in the threshold of the apartment. They smiled down at him cheerfully. "Harry! Good to see you, mate!" Fred said. "Malfoy sent us an owl the other day saying you'd be feeling a bit lonely."

"We meant to come earlier, but you know how the shop gets. We had customers even after closing time!" George told him as Harry let them into the apartment. They both looked around, amazed at how perfectly designed the place was. "Blimey, this place is spiffy. Guess this is the kind of treatment you get when you get a Malfoy to fall in love with you, eh?"

Harry decided to ignore that last comment. "So how is everyone doing?" he asked eagerly, wanting knew of his children and friends. It was so strange being in hiding and not knowing what was going on in the world beside what was in the _Daily Prophet_. He needed to know that everything was okay.

"Oh, James and Sirius are doing just great. It's like they're on vacation," Fred answered. "Of course they miss their daddy, but they have fun with the other kids. Mum's having the time of her life. Says she missed having kids running around the burrow, what with everyone all grown up, you see." He paused, thinking for a moment for any other important news. "Oh, little Ginny's getting married to Dean. He proposed over dinner the other night."

George found it fit to cut in here. "Ginny says they'll be waiting until you can come back. She wants you at the wedding of course." Harry was happy to hear that Ginny and Dean finally decided to tie the knot. Still, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, feeling as though everyone else was moving on with their lives while he was forced to stand still in the same spot for all eternity.

As though that thought had caused some violent sickness within him, Harry suddenly felt the urge to vomit. Fred and George watched curiously as he ran into the bathroom, retching, expelling all the contents from his stomach. Hearing his vomiting, the twins came to his aid immediately, finding Harry staring down at the toilet in complete and udder shock. He was thinking about the sex he had with Draco, his mind flashing through every little detail of the night. That was when he remembered. _We forgot contraceptive! _His face paled and he vomited again.

When he was clearly out of ammo to throw up, Fred and George helped him up, and wiped his face. Drained of his strength, Harry felt the needed to sit down. "Bloody hell, Harry, is there a stomach bug going around?" George asked. The concerned look didn't quite look right on his face, as Harry was used to seeing the twins just fooling around. He didn't like to see this expression.

"Not exactly…" He blushed.

"Then I suppose the only other possibility was you and Draco having a romp!" Fred said, clearly joking. Harry only looked down, trying to hide the embarrassed expression on his face. That was when Fred realized that he had been right. "Blimey, we ought to get you to St. Mungo's then."

Despite Harry's protests, that's exactly what they did. Fred and George wouldn't let him off the hook. They'd told Draco that they would watch out for Harry and this was the least they could do. This was a serious matter anyway. Harry knew this and dwelled on it as he waited in one of the mediwizard's offices. It was awkward, wearing a hospital gown in front of the twins, but he was glad to have someone there with him while getting checked out.

Mediwizard Jones was a very kind doctor who worked with helping witches and wizards with pregnancy and such. Everything about her was gentle, even her voice, which surprised Harry. Most of his experiences with doctors hadn't been so good, nor so gentle. But she was good to him. "Okay, Mr. Potter. Everything's going to be alright. I'm just going to run my wand over your stomach with a little spell and see what's inside. It won't hurt a bit." She said this more to the twins, who hadn't seen anything like this before.

Harry visibly stiffened as she carefully ran her wand over his body. It was as though he already knew exactly what she was going to say to him. She stopped her wand at a particular spot and examined him. She'd found it; Harry could tell. "Mr. Potter, it does seem that you're pregnant." Harry thought that he would have been ready to hear her say that. He'd known it was true without the exam. But hearing the words come from the mouth of an experienced doctor only made it truer and more horrible to him. He suddenly felt the urge to vomit again.

George and Fred tried desperately to calm him down. "It's not so bad, Harry. You've already done it once, and those were twins! Just think how much easier it'll be to have one like you're supposed to," George joked, trying to earn a smile from Harry with no avail.

"Yeah, and Draco will take care of you. He'll help out. I know he was a git in school, but you know he's changed. Hermione figures that he really cares about you a lot," Fred told him.

"You can't tell Draco!" Harry yelled suddenly. The twins both looked at him, alarmed at his outburst.

Before they could argue, the mediwizard looked at Harry. "You know, Mr. Potter, there are other options if you're not ready to have this baby."

Harry knew all about those other options. "No, I will not abort this baby and I can't imagine giving it up for adoption. I just couldn't do it," he admitted, looking down at his stomach, where his next child was silently growing. He couldn't believe he was having Draco's baby. It was so ironic. Draco had left him so he could make heirs to the Malfoy name. Now another heir was resting inside of him, just waiting to come out into the world.

Back at the apartment, Fred and George tried their luck in convincing Harry to tell Draco about the baby. "He needs to know that he's having another child, Harry. You can't keep this from him," George reasoned. It was wrong to keep this a secret and even Harry knew it.

"I don't want Draco to feel obligated to be with me just because I'm having his baby. If he knew that I was pregnant, he would feel responsible for it," Harry replied.

"Technically, he is partly responsible. He took part in the shagging, right?" Fred mentioned.

"Very funny…No, this is my fault. I knew I should have used contraceptive. I knew I was able to bear children and still I made this mistake. I know I was drunk, but that's no excuse really. It was my responsibility to make sure to use the contraceptive spell. Draco wouldn't think to use it, just thinking that I was a man. Plus, he was drunk as well," Harry said, just making excuses for the blonde. "Besides, Draco is too busy to worry about me or another child. And he already had Kendrick."

"Look, Harry, we can't force you to tell him, but I hope you do it on your own…"

"Do what?"

All three of them turned to see Draco standing in the doorway. He had a very puzzled look on his face. "Erm…Fred and George here were just telling me I should rest because I've a bit of a stomach bug," Harry said, saving his own hide.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Oh yes, of course…George and Fred just took me to the doctor and they said it shouldn't last very long." Draco looked relieved. "I'm just going to go rest then." And he left the room, not wanting to stay in the same room as Draco while keeping such a big secret from him. He only hoped that the twins would spill the beans to Draco or anyone else for that matter. He couldn't have everyone knowing except for Draco. That would be wrong.

"Suppose we should be leaving then," George suggested, as they moved towards the door. "Oh, by the way, Malfoy, Ginny and Dean are getting married and they wanted us to spread the news."

Draco smiled. "I send them my congratulations then." The twins left promptly.

When he got into the bedroom to check on Harry, the man was lying on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. He did look a little paler than usual, something that worried Draco quite a bit. So he sat down next to Harry on the bed. "I don't need a babysitter, Draco," Harry suddenly said, looking up at Draco's smiling face. "I'm sure you have work to do anyway."

"I'm done with work for the day. And I want to take care of you, especially if you're sick," Draco replied. Really, he just wanted an excuse to be near Harry.

"I'd rather be left alone. Besides, you could catch my bug," Harry said, though he knew that that wouldn't happen. If only pregnancy was contagious.

"Is everything alright?" Draco looked concerned.

"Yeah, I just miss everyone. I want to see my children and Ron and Hermione and I wish I had been there when Dean proposed to Ginny. I feel like I'm missing everything," Harry replied. Meanwhile, he really just wanted to tell Draco the truth. He wanted to shout at him about his condition and how it was all Draco's fault. But he wouldn't. He would keep it a secret. Eventually Draco would have to notice, as his stomach grew larger. He was terrified of what Draco's reaction would be…So he would have to disappear before that and go somewhere that Draco would never think to look for him.

"I understand. I miss Kendrick too." But he knew that his son was safe and that was what mattered. "Don't worry. We'll eventually go back and then Dean and Ginny will be getting married. We won't miss that at least."

Harry nodded and turned on his side. He no longer felt like he could talk to Draco about his feelings concerning the sex they'd had. It would be so wrong to start up a relationship when he was keeping his child a secret from him. The thought scared him even because he realized that he would have been ready to start something with Draco. But now he would have to find someone else to stay with. Draco would find him with Hermione or the Weasleys…It would have to be something more discreet.

Suddenly, he felt Draco moving as the blonde got up to turn the lights off. "Well, feel better Harry." And he left the room, forcing Harry to be alone with his thoughts.

* * *

The next morning, Harry noticed a particularly glum look on Draco's face as he read the _Daily Prophet_. He remembered seeing Hermione look exactly the same way when a story about Voldemort was in the paper. It was so strange to see Draco with the same expression as his bushy-haired friend. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"H-Harry…Now, I don't want you to freak out but—"

Harry grabbed the paper out of his hands, recoiling when he saw a picture of Malakai on the cover. Someone must have taken this picture at the trial because it showed the large man attacking Harry, who fell to the ground. Harry's green eyes moved across the picture to the title of the article. "MASS ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN." Harry couldn't believe it. This sort of thing hadn't happened since Voldemort was still alive. Feeling nauseous, Harry couldn't even read the article. If Malakai escaped from Azkaban, he would surely be hunting for Harry and his children. Now that he was carrying another child inside of him, he couldn't risk being found by Malakai.

Suddenly, Harry found himself enveloped in Draco's arms. "Everything will be okay. This is why we went into hiding right? He'll never find us here," Draco said, running his hand through the raven strands of hair.

Harry pulled away. "No, I need to make sure James and Sirius are okay."

Draco pulled him back into their embrace. "They're with the Weasleys. I'm sure Molly has seen the paper today. Kingsley and Tonks will be patrolling the burrow, so you don't have to worry about it." He really wished there was some way he could make Harry feel better…He needed a way to distract him from what was going on in the rest of the world. The blonde took Harry's face in his hands and looked him right in the eyes. "Harry, I'll keep you safe."

For a moment, the two just gazed at each other silently. God knows what either of them had been thinking. A moment later, Draco was leaning in towards Harry, capturing his lips in a hesitant and tender kiss. Harry trembled, but didn't pull away as Draco had expected him to. When they parted, Harry looked up at him with a very puzzled look on his face. "I thought we were just going to forget that it ever happened…"

"I tried. Really, I did. But I can't stop thinking about you. You were so perfect…" he said, placing another kiss on the top of Harry's head.

"I'm not perfect, Draco. I'm scarred and disgusting. I was sure that you wouldn't want to look at me again after seeing me that way…" Harry protested. There was no way that Draco could want him again!

"Don't be daft, Harry," Draco told him, his lips at Harry's earlobe. Then he pulled back. "Sorry. I won't take advantage of you again." Just as he was about to move back for good, Harry wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. The most mind-blowing part of this kiss was that Harry initiated it on his own, even without the glasses of wine. Draco felt elated, even when he picked Harry up and brought him to the bedroom. His desired had heightened so drastically in the past few seconds and he had to have Harry _now_.

On the bed, Harry rolled around so he was on top of Draco, straddling the man's hips. He bent down, pressing his body into Draco's so temptingly. Draco couldn't believe that Harry was taking such initiative. At moments like this, Harry didn't care that he would never be good enough for Draco. Just being able to please him like this was enough for him. It would have to do, for he was sure that they would never form an actual relationship again. Better to enjoy himself though.

The duo felt so rushed, Draco just couldn't control where his hands were going. As much as he wanted to drag this out, he couldn't wait to fill Harry. He needed that completion of being one with the Savior. Harry felt very much the same and didn't even bother with Draco's shirt, immediately unbuckling Draco's pants, pulling them down just enough that his erection was revealed. Within seconds, Harry had the organ in his mouth, causing Draco to gasp loudly before starting to moan. His hand went into the raven locks, grasping at them as Harry's head bobbed up and down. He couldn't believe that Harry was actually doing this for him. He'd done it before…but after all the sexual abuse he'd been through, Draco didn't think he'd be so keen on it. "A-Ah! Harry, stop!' he called, not wanting to orgasm just yet. When Harry pulled back, giving him a puzzled look, Draco smiled. "I want to come inside you, nowhere else."

Harry pulled his own shirt off and pants down, as well as the underwear he'd been wearing. It was strange being completely naked while Draco was almost completely clothes, but something about it was terribly erotic. He whispered a lubrication spell and straddled Draco's waist again. "Ready, Draco?" he asked, while preparing himself with his own fingers. Draco could barely speak, watching the erotic sight before him. He could only nod, making Harry grin. When he impaled himself on Draco's member, they both moaned uncontrollably.

Then Harry started moving his body up and down, longing for the friction that would be caused between them. Harry braced himself with both of his hands on either side of Draco's head. Draco would argue later that he found much more pleasure in this than Harry ever could. Just looking up at Harry's face as he lowered himself onto Draco's cock was breathtaking. He could see everything through those green eyes. So he watched as Harry moaned and ground against him in a way that almost made Draco's eyes roll back into his head. When Harry's eyes met his own, they locked on each other, watching as the pleasure became greater. Harry sped up, causing himself to moan. "A-Ah…D-Draco!"

Hearing him shout his name like that made Draco's entire body respond. "Gods Harry…Say it again…"

"D-Draco! Draco, I-I'm cumming!" And sure enough, he did, screaming out his lover's name as his entire body clenched deliciously around Draco's member. The blonde came soon after, not being able to handle the pressure for much longer.

Afterwards, Harry laid on Draco, his head resting on Draco's chest as arms wrapped around his waist. Draco had given him his button-down shirt, since they were both too lazy to get off the bed to retrieve Harry's clothing. Not to mention, Draco had more than one fantasy of Harry walking around in just his shirt, which only just covered the man's rump.

Harry felt terribly ashamed now that the deed had been done. He'd figured that if he was already pregnant then why shouldn't he just enjoy himself? Still, he didn't want to lead Draco on. The man was now rubbing his back delicately, trying to comfort him. "Harry, I'll always protect you, okay?" Now Harry felt even guiltier. He was wasting Draco's time. It wasn't like the man was going to leave here with an actual boyfriend. Draco deserved much better and Harry was holding him back.

"Didn't you have work today?" he asked Draco.

"I did, but I called in sick after seeing the paper. I wanted to be here with you."

Harry really appreciated his concern. Really, he did. "I don't mean to be such a burden to you. You shouldn't miss work just for me," he said.

Draco shook his head. "Harry, I'll never think of you as a burden. I care for you so much, and I know I've done you wrong in the past, but I've always hoped that you could forgive me. I love you, Harry. I love you so much that I just wish I could make everything right."

Harry smiled half-heartedly. He was pleased to hear Draco say this to him. But he couldn't make everything right. Harry was secretly pregnant with Draco's child and in hiding from his abusive ex-lover. Nobody could make that right. He realized, too, that if he told Draco about their unborn child, Draco would have to deal with having an illegitimate child. The papers wouldn't be so kind about that, especially since it concerned the Boy Who Lived.

Still, his heart fluttered like that of a teenager when he heard Draco explain his love for him. It reminded him of when they were younger and in love.

_The Room of Requirement had often been their place of meeting. It seemed as though the school were accepting their relationship by showing them its most secret room. Hogwarts knew they had a need to be together. This was the one place where no one could find them. They could be together and keep it a secret from the rest of the world, which was necessary at the time. Ron and Hermione wouldn't accept their relationship after all that Malfoy had put them through. At the same time, the other Slytherins wouldn't be so keen either. Or they would think Draco was just shagging the Golden Boy for kicks._

_The room always seemed to know what kind of mood they were in. If they just wanted a quiet place to be with one another, it would show them a silent room with a romantic candle-lit dinner waiting for them. On the other hand, if they wanted sex, it would present them with a beautiful canopy bed with white sheets. It was perfect and the two made sure to make full use of it._

_One particular night, Harry lay next to Draco, snuggled comfortably in his arms as he tried to catch his breath. They were both sweaty from earlier activities, but had smiles on their faces. Sex was always something they enjoyed together. Draco had expected this relationship to be purely for a romp and then he would walk away, knowing he'd shagged the Boy Who Lived. But Harry was so captivating in bed: the noises he made, the expression on his face just as he came. There was nothing like it. Draco had never experienced anything like Harry James Potter in his entire life and he wasn't going to let go so easily._

_Harry, of course, had accepted for quite some time that he was in love with Draco Malfoy. It was difficult to believe at first. After much frustration over the matter, he'd come to terms with it, though he was sure that nothing would ever happen. Sure, they had really good sex, and would sometimes just sit and talk together. But surely, Draco only saw him as his secret 'friend with benefits'. After graduating, he would have to move on with his life. Eventually, he knew he would get over Draco. It would just take come time._

"_Bloody hell, Harry, you're amazing," Draco breathed, placing a kiss on the top of Harry's head. The smaller of the two looked up at him from where his head rested on the blonde's chest. "No, not just the sex." He loved the way that he knew exactly what Harry was thinking just by looking at that beautiful face. "You know, at first I thought this was just going to be about pleasure…the normal one-night stand. Then I saw just how beautiful you are, Harry." He smiled down at the boy. "So I couldn't help falling in love."_

_The shock written on Harry's face made Draco chuckle before swooping down to him for another passion-filled kiss. "You love me?" Harry asked meekly, unable to believe his ears. When Draco nodded, Harry kissed him again. When they made love, it was the most amazing experience either of them had ever had. Nothing would ever come to replace it._

"D-Draco…I really appreciate everything you've done for me and James and Sirius too…" Harry started nervously. "But, it's hard for me to love someone…romantically speaking." He didn't want to hurt Draco. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He just wanted the other man to understand. "And I never thought I would ever have sex with another man ever again after what Malakai did to me. Somehow I feel comfortable enough around you and you know how to make me feel good." He blushed, feeling embarrassed about saying these things. "I just can't let myself fall again."

Draco smiled softly, but in a way that Harry knew a disappointed frown was hiding beneath it. "It' okay, Harry. I don't want to force you into anything you're not ready for," he said. He'd known that Harry wouldn't be ready for him. Sex just had to go and complicate everything, didn't it? "I just wanted you to know how I feel."

Harry smiled now too. "Thank you…"

* * *

_Dear Neville,_

_How are you? I'm sure you've been hearing all about how I'm doing. Hermione told me she'd sent you and Luna an owl. How's little baby Atticus? Heard he's quite a handful. Don't worry. That passes and they're eventually a joy to have around. Haha! Well, I'm writing to check in…and I have a favor to ask of you. I know you have your own quarters while you're teaching at Hogwarts, and I was wondering if I might stay with you a night or two. Just until I find someplace else. Only if you and Luna don't mind. I wouldn't want to bother the two of you. I just can't live with Draco anymore. But don't jump to any conclusions! He's been a perfect gentleman. Anyway, I'll explain later. Please, owl me soon. _

_Thanks,_

_Harry_

Neville could barely believe his eyes. Hermione had told him that Harry would be staying with Draco in Hogsmeade since he and Luna were living at Hogwarts as teachers. He'd expected that after some time they would get back together and everything would be okay. But now it seemed that things were only getting more complicated than before. Of course, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to accept Harry's request. He owed a lot to Harry Potter and would do anything for the wizard.

Holding their one-month old baby, Luna looked over Neville's shoulder. She was just as eccentric as always and already the child had some strange charm around his neck. Luna swore it would keep the nargols away. "Ooh! Harry wants to stay with us! We'll have ourselves a good time, and Harry can meet little Atticus!" she said in her sweet voice while she patted the baby's back. Neville had always loved the sound of her voice. It was so melodious. "Do answer him quickly, Neville."

Neville agreed, though part of him felt as though he was trained to listen to the women in his life. It had started with his grandmother, who still found time to visit and boss him around, and now Luna had the power to control him so easily. She just had to use that soft voice of hers and he would listen so intently. But he was happy, and he made her happy. So everyone was happy. "Yes dear," he said before getting the parchment and ink to write another letter back.

_Harry,_

_Luna was thrilled to hear that you'll be coming to stay with us. Regarding your transportation, it'll be safest for you to floo here from the apartment. I'm sure you're planning on keeping this a secret from Draco. You'll be safest at Hogwarts anyway. Nobody will find you here. I will, however, owl Hermione and Ron so they know that you're safe. Wouldn't want to startle anyone we didn't have to startle, right? Come whenever you find it possible. We'll always be ready to have you with us. And we would never mind doing a favor for you, Harry. You've proved yourself more than worthy._

_Best wishes and see you soon,_

_Neville_

Neville was certainly different than the timid boy he used to be. Still skinny as hell, but ever since proving himself a true Gryffindor by pulling Godric's sword out of the sorting hat, he'd been a changed man. Never questioned himself again, got himself a beautiful (though strange) wife and Harry was sure they were perfectly thrilled now that they had a newborn child.

Harry was very happy with the reply, especially since it came while Draco was at work. He certainly didn't want the blonde to know about his departure and was trying to pack his belongings as quickly as possible. All the while, he couldn't keep his guilt from coming up. He hated leaving this way. Draco would come home to an empty apartment and most likely search for him like crazy. Hopefully, he wouldn't think to check Hogwarts. But it was better this way. Draco could go back to his normal life and Kendrick could have his father back.

Still, tears fell from his eyes as he started to say goodbye to the apartment. He really did enjoy being there, especially with Draco around. It was almost like old times, when they had been going out as teenagers. He was going to miss it, but he had to do this. He couldn't let Draco see him pregnant. Sure, Draco had said that he loved him, but he deserved so much better! He deserved to find himself a pretty wife who could fully love him. And then he could have more children without the embarrassment of them being illegitimate.

Before leaving, Harry decided it was only fair that he write Draco a note of apology. He couldn't leave without saying anything! So he wrote. And he cried. And he wrote. His tears left evidence on the parchment as he tried to articulate his feelings into words. Draco would still search for him, but at least this way he would know that Harry was somewhere safe. And if Hermione knew where he was going, she would assure Draco that Harry was safe, right? So everything was ready and perfect.

There was no excuse for Harry to stay any longer. Stepping into the large fireplace, he held the floo powder, pausing for a moment to look at the apartment longingly. "Hogwarts, Neville Longbottom's quarters." He threw the powder into the fireplace.

And then he was gone.


End file.
